Letter to a Soldier
by Hotaru
Summary: Rebecca's life after the mansion incidents is not exactly happy. She gets a visit from an unexpected acquaintance, and life gets a little bit more interesting.
1. Page 1

Letter to a Soldier, Part I  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes: Basically, this is all of Resident Evil Ø, just with added dialogue, thoughts and stuff like that.  
  
There will be story after ward, but there are a few chapters with game dialogue, and such. You can  
  
skip it and wait for new chapters, but you might as well read it. Thankies!  
  
--July 21st 6:00 P.M.--  
  
After graduating college at the age of eighteen, Rebecca Chambers was recruited by a man named  
  
Enrico Marini to join his Special Tactics And Rescue Squad's (or, S.T.A.R.S. for short) Raccoon City Division.   
  
Rebecca hadn'tgiven him an answer, of course. What do you really say to a stranger who approaches you while you're  
  
waiting for the train? He gave her a number to reach him at, and made her promise to think seriously  
  
about joining him. Her parents would object, naturally. They were such worriers.  
  
Truth be told, Rebecca didn't have any plans after graduation. She took all the medical courses she  
  
could in school to avoid going to college for a decade of her life. "If you're going to be a doctor,  
  
Rebecca, you need to go to college." She didn't know how many times her father chastized her about  
  
her apprehension towards college. More than she would have liked, of course.  
  
Currently, she was sitting in her room, slumped over her desk, fingering the card Enrico Marini had given  
  
her. She had just had a fight with her parents, again, and chose to lock herself away for the remainder  
  
of the evening. /What's the harm in calling? I promised him I'd think about it../ Biting her lip, Rebecca  
  
picked up her phone and dialed in the phone number. It rang a few times before someone finally picked  
  
up.  
  
"Ah..hi. Um..is ah, Mr. Marini there, please?" Rebecca asked nervously.  
  
"Enrico? Sure, just a sec." The voice replied. Rebecca glanced back at her door, making sure it was  
  
locked. She didn't need her parents coming in while she was on the phone, with a guy.  
  
"Who is this?" A voice, presumably Enrico's, asked.  
  
"This is Rebecca Chambers. You said you wanted to recruit me?"  
  
"Ah, I'm glad to hear from you. So, have you made any decisions?"  
  
"..Well...yes and no. I'd like to join you. It's better than working at a hospital, which is what I'd be  
  
doing most likely, and I'd like a little action now that school's over and done with."  
  
"So what's holding you back then?" Enrico asked.  
  
"My parents. My dad wants me to take up the family practice and become a doctor. And my  
  
mom..she'd take care of me until the day I died, if she could. She's so...worrysome. I haven't even  
  
thought up what I would say to them." Rebecca replied.  
  
"That _is_ a dilemma."  
  
"I don't even know how to approach them about this."  
  
"Well, what's their opinion about cops? That's basically what we are, you know."  
  
"My mom's brother is a cop, and she has a lot of respect for him. I guess my dad does too." Rebecca  
  
answered.  
  
"Well then there shouldn't be a problem then. Just tell them you're going to take the cop test, and let  
  
them know you're assigned to a special division due to your special abilities." Enrico said simply.  
  
"I guess that could work. Alright. I'll talk to them tonight, and call you once I get an answer." Rebecca  
  
replied.  
  
"Talk to you soon."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Hanging up the phone, Rebecca sighed. She wanted to tell her parents about this, but it wasn't exactly  
  
wise to bring up a controvertial topic just after a fight. Either way, dinner time would be the best time to  
  
tell them.  
  
"Rebecca! Dinner's ready!"  
  
/What timing./ Rebecca thought, before pushing her chair out from under her desk, and standing up.  
  
Taking a breath, she opened the door and headed downstairs. /Chicken and pasta. How ordinary./  
  
Sitting down at her designated seat, Rebecca stared at the table waiting for her plate of food that her  
  
mother insisted on serving.  
  
"Have you heard anything from the places you applied at?" Her father asked, looking up from the  
  
evening paper. Truth be told, she already was contacted about her applications. The hospital declined,  
  
a pharmaceutical company was interested and willing to take her on, and the paramedic's respectivly  
  
declined.  
  
"Yeah." Rebecca answered, grabbing her fork.  
  
"And?"  
  
"No one was interested in hiring me. But actually, I've found something else to apply for."  
  
"Oh? And what's that, dear?" Her mother interrupted, sitting down at the table.  
  
Pausing, she looked back and forth at the two. Her mother leaned forward eagerly, and her father sat  
  
still, newspaper poised in his hands. "I'm going to take cop test." Rebecca said finally.  
  
"To become a police officer?" Her father questioned, turning his ear toward her.  
  
"Yeah. They said they'd be really eager to have a medic on board. All I have to do is pass the test."  
  
"But, Rebecca..you never displayed an interest when hearing your Uncle Bill's old stories. Why the  
  
sudden interest?" Her mother asked.  
  
"Because, Deb, she's not interested in taking up the family practice and she wants to find a way around  
  
it. Using your brother as a decoy.." Her father answered.  
  
Rebecca placed her elbow on the table, and rested her chin on her hand. "Peter, maybe you just need  
  
to just accept the fact that Rebecca's going down a different path than you are." Deb Chambers  
  
countered.  
  
"Then why did she bother telling them she was medically trained?" Peter asked.  
  
"Why do you talk about it me as if I'm not even here?" Rebecca interrupted. Her parents looked at her  
  
with a sad expression. "Can I just take the test and see if I'm even qualified? This is something I want to  
  
do. Why can't that be enough for you?"  
  
And that ended it. Dinner was quiet, until her parents began a discussion about work. Rebecca excused  
  
herself quietly, and went up to her room. Picking up the phone, she dialed in Enrico Marini's number.  
  
"It's Rebecca Chambers again. I need to speak with Mr. Marini." She said, wondering who kept  
  
picking up the phone.  
  
"Sure, one sec. Enrico! Phone for you!"  
  
"Rebecca?" Enrico half-guessed.  
  
"You got it. Well, I talked to my parents."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Well, there was a lot of...talking, but basically, I told them I'd take the test, and we'd take it from  
  
there. So when can I take it?" Rebecca asked eagerly.  
  
"Whenever it's good for you." Enrico answered.  
  
"Well...seeing how I don't have a job, I'm free all the time. My dad sometimes makes he help him at his  
  
office, but that rarely happens." Rebecca said.  
  
"Good then. I'll schedule you in. Come by the station around ten tomorrow morning, I'll meet you out  
  
front, and I'll take you to the testing center."  
  
"Great. I'll be there. Thank you, Mr. Marini."  
  
"Please, call me Enrico. See you tomorrow Bec."  
  
"Alright. Bye."  
  
*-*  
  
--July 22nd 1998 9:30 A.M.--  
  
The next day, Rebecca woke up a half hour later than she intended to. Screaming in frustration, she  
  
slammed her fist down on her alarm clock radio and jumped out of bed. She charged into the  
  
bathroom, brushed her teeth and jumped in the shower. /This is going to be the worst first impression  
  
ever./ She cringed, while hastilly cleaning herself. There was no time to blow dry her hair, so she pulled  
  
on a hat to keep it in place as long as possible. Pulling on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and sweater, she  
  
grabbed her shoes and ran downstairs.  
  
"Rebecca! What's gotten into you?" Her mother exclaimed, jumping as her daughter skidded into the  
  
kitchen.  
  
"I'm running late for..something important. Grab me a yogurt from the fridge, please!" Rebecca replied,  
  
pulling her shoes on, not bothering to untie, and re-tie the laces.  
  
"Oh...okay. How long will you be gone? Your father mentioned needing your help at the office today.."  
  
"Not today, mom. Thanks, gotta run. Bye!" She grabbed the yogurt and spoon from her mother, tossed  
  
it into her bag, and ran out the door. The train station was a little ways away, and the train only came  
  
twice an hour.  
  
/Shit...it's already ten to ten! I hope they won't hold this against me/ Rebecca thought, pumping her legs  
  
faster as she neared the train station. Stopping to catch her breath, Rebecca leaned against a fence. "I  
  
guess..this is good training.." She huffed. Turning around, she paused to listen for the train. "...There it  
  
is." Breaking into a fast run, she flew up the hill, and charged down the stairs, nearly crashing into a  
  
garbage can. Panting like a dog in summer, Rebecca climbed onto the train, and collapsed into a seat.  
  
A few people stared at her, but went back to what they were doing a moment later. Glancing at her  
  
watch, she sighed. Five to ten. She might make it. Pulling her water and yogurt from her pack, she ate  
  
her breakfast. Exiting the train, she tossed her garbage into a nearby can and headed to the police  
  
station. She jogged the rest of the way, and nearly crashed while going up the stairs to the station. A  
  
pair of feet greeted her as she reached the top. Raising her head, Rebecca looked up and smiled.  
  
"Sorry I'm late, Enrico. My alarm clock must be busted or something." She apologized.  
  
"Don't worry about it, kid. Let's get inside." Enrico replied, patting her back. He felt her heart racing,  
  
which you can't normally do from behind. "Are you okay?" He questioned.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I just sort of ran all the way here." Rebecca answered, hoping her heart would slow  
  
down before she had to make it pump again.  
  
"At least you're dedicated. You want a moment to rest before we begin?"  
  
Rebecca looked up at the elder man, and shook her head no. She couldn't show any signs of weakness  
  
on her first day. "Good. Let's go."  
  
The test was vigorous. Running, chasing, tackling, climbing over fences, through small crevices. Her  
  
"criminals" weren't easy on her either. They punched like they meant it. Rebecca never did quit though.  
  
She didn't want to be stuck in a stupid doctor's office, filing things for the rest of her life.  
  
By the time the test was over, she was bruised, scraped, cut and dead tired. "Okay, good job Rebecca.  
  
Honestly, I didn't think you'd make it this far. I'm proud of ya." Enrico said, handing her a bottle of cold  
  
water. She unscrewed the cap, and chugged half of it down.  
  
"Thanks, Enrico. I didn't want to disappoint you and I really want this job. Can you tell me now if I  
  
made it or not?" Rebecca answered.  
  
"If you made it? Hell! You put some of us guys to shame!" A man exclaimed, appearing from a room.  
  
Rebecca's eyes widened. /People were watching me?/  
  
"Hey, speak for yourself, Redfield." Another man grinned.  
  
Enrico turned to the group of people forming behind him. "What are you all doing here?" He asked.  
  
"Wesker told us you were recruiting someone. You didn't expect us to sit around and miss this did  
  
you?" A female asked. Sighing, Enrico turned back to Rebecca.  
  
"Rebecca, these are the individuals that compose the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha and Bravo teams. Chris  
  
Redfield, Alpha's marksman. Forest Speyer, Bravo's vehicle's specialist. And the lovely Jill Valentine,  
  
the brains of the group." Enrico said, introducing people in the order they spoke.  
  
"Ah, nice to meet you all. I didn't know anyone else would be watching me." Rebecca said bashfully.  
  
"Well you have nothing to worry about. Never seen a girl run like you. Joseph Frost, a pleasure." A  
  
man in a bandana stepped forward, extending his hand. Rebecca shook it nervously. She'd never seen  
  
so many people interested in her before.  
  
"Okay, everyone. Becca here needs to get home and rest after making you all look like shit." Enrico  
  
interrupted.  
  
"Hey kid, need a ride?" A man, Chris, asked. Rebecca was about to decline, when she realized that her  
  
legs were like puddy.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Thanks." She said gratefully. Standing up from her chair, Rebecca grabbed her pack. "So,  
  
did I make it?" She asked, turning to Enrico.  
  
"Sure did. You did great today. I'll call you later on tonight, and we can discuss the specifics.  
  
Congratulations." Her replied with a smile.  
  
Grinning, Rebecca turned to Chris. "I made it!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, I am standing withing listening distance. Congratulations." Chris replied with a smile. After saying  
  
their goodbye's, Chris and Rebecca headed out of the police station towards the parking lot. Rebecca  
  
didn't really know what to talk about, so she remained silent.  
  
"So what got you interested in joining S.T.A.R.S.?" Chris asked, unlocking his car, and climbing into  
  
the driver's seat.  
  
"The idea of working for my dad wasn't exactly appealling. And neither was going to college and med  
  
school to do something I didn't want to do." Rebecca replied, buckling herself in.  
  
"Ah, I see. Everyone's always looking for a little excitement." Chris grinned knowingly, pulling out into  
  
the street. "You're gonna have to give me directions here."  
  
"Oh, right. Um...just take a right when you get to the train station. It's pretty much a straightaway from  
  
there. Anyway, my dad was really pissed off when I told him about this. But I guess he realized that he  
  
can't make all the decisions for me." Rebecca answered.  
  
"Yeah. How old are you?"  
  
"Eighteen. But he treats me like I'm still a kid! I just wish I could be on my own for awhile, away from  
  
his protection, if you can understand that."  
  
"Sure. You're a rebellious teen lookin' for excitement. I know the feeling."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't say rebellious. I do as I'm told, and I'm not irresponsible. I just want to be  
  
independant." Rebecca corrected him.  
  
"You sound like my sister. Except she hardly listens to me." Chris replied with a chuckle.  
  
"Turn left here."  
  
"Ah, you're close by. That's good."  
  
"Yeah. Not too far from the train station. Although it seems like miles when you're running as fast as  
  
you can."  
  
"Speaking of which, you did really good today."  
  
"Really?..I'm glad...you can pull over here. My house is right up ahead."  
  
Chris pulled the car into an empty spot and killed the engine. "Well, welcome aboard, I guess." He said  
  
awkwardly.  
  
"Thanks. I hope I can fit in. Is everyone really older than me?" Rebecca asked. She knew Enrico was a  
  
lot older, but everyone else seemed to be in their prime.  
  
"Depends on who you're talking about. I'm 25, Jill's 23, Forest is...29 I think. Everyone is pretty much  
  
in their twenties. So, not really."  
  
"That's good. Well, thanks for the ride home. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."   
  
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."  
  
Rebecca climbed out of the car and waved, before jogging towards her house. Chris waited to make  
  
sure she got in, before driving away. Pushing the front door open, Rebecca stumbled into her house  
  
tiredly. "Rebecca! Where have you been all this time? It's already dark out." Her mother remarked  
  
from the kitchen.  
  
"I was at the police station, remember?" Rebecca said irritatedly, opening the refrigerator door looking  
  
for something to eat.  
  
"Honey, I'm cooking dinner. Don't spoil your appetite." Her mother continued. Sighing angrilly,  
  
Rebecca slammed the door closed. "Rebecca! What has gotten in to you?!"  
  
"I'm hungry, mom! All I had to eat today was yogurt and water. And it's only five o'clock. Eating  
  
something now isn't going to ruin my appetite."  
  
Looking up, Deborah Chambers crossed her arms. "Your father is actually going to be home for dinner  
  
today, and I'd like it if we could have a pleasant meal for once. There are fruit snacks in the cupboard,  
  
if you're _that_ hungry, but we'll be eating in an hour or so, so wash up okay?" She said sternly.  
  
Grumbling, Rebecca went into the cupboard and grabbed a pack of fruit snacks. They weren't even  
  
good fruit snacks.  
  
Kicking off her shoes, she drudged up to her room and collapsed onto her bed. /I ran my hardest  
  
today. I fought off those people as if they were really going to kill me, and I barely survived. Do I really  
  
have what it takes to be a member of S.T.A.R.S.?/ She ate the little fruit-flavored dinosaurs quickly,  
  
before hobbling to the shower.  
  
*-* 


	2. Page 2

Letters to a Soldier, Part II  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Orion's Shadow- Me too! You know, I started to write a fic, and I thought it was really good, but it was about Jill joining, and Becca had already joined...and then I read up and found out Becca was the last person to join, yadda yadda, so...I don't know what I'm going to do with that one.  
  
Freak An A Half- I agree. I figure I can make them however I want, and no one can complain since no one knows how they were since they die like...immediately.  
  
Luckie- Thank you! Hoy? What do you mean by Hoy?  
  
Visions of Malice- Squealing is fun! if you do it in public, people will look at you!  
  
Notes: Same as previous chapter, except I stole the idea to comment to my reviewers from Proudly Pinoy. Ha.  
  
--5:30 P.M.--  
  
"So how long do you guys think she'll last?" Joseph Frost asked over a cup of coffee.  
  
"Few weeks. She's too soft." Forest Speyer bet.  
  
"You guys are such assholes." Jill Valentine spat, crossing her arms.  
  
"I think she'll do good. You saw her move today." Chris Redfield said, leaning back in his chair.  
  
The Alpha and Bravo teams had gotten together at a coffee house after Rebecca's trial, since they were all together anyway. "Do you think Enrico would have recruited a wussy?" Brad Vickers questioned.  
  
"Obviously not. And _that's_ why I think she'll kick all of your asses the next trial we have." Chris grinned.  
  
"Well _you're_ awfully confident, Redfield. You got a crush or something?" Jill questioned, raising her eyebrows with a seductive grin.  
  
"Gotta admit, she was pretty cute, for a kid." Joseph remarked.  
  
Scoffing, Jill slumped back in her chair. "You're all pigs. I expected more for _you_ Chris." She remarked, before standing up, and brushing past them.  
  
"Look at the ass on that one." Forest murmured as Jill huffed out of the coffee house.  
  
"Jesus, Frost." Chris spat, getting up and going after her.  
  
Jill sighed, fumbling with her car keys. She heard foot steps behind her, that stopped, and a hand rested on her shoulder. "Jill, forget about them. They're just..guys." Chris said.  
  
"And so are you, Chris, or have you forgotten that?" Jill spat.  
  
"Not all guys are jerks, Jill. Haven't I proven that to you?"  
  
Turning, Jill crossed her arms and leaned on her car. "Sure. But when everyone's hanging out, you act just like them." She reminded him.  
  
"Do I? I'm sorry if I offended ya, Jill. Is something wrong? You've seemed pretty out of it today." Chris asked. Sighing, Jill shrugged. Pushing herself off the car, she walked slowly, with Chris by her side.  
  
"I don't know. I just feel...like I don't really know anyone. Since this Rebecca girl has come, all everyone talks about is how cute she is, or how fast she can run." Jill said softly.  
  
"You're jealous? No way." Chris said with a smile.  
  
"I'm not jealous! I just..thought we'd talk about other stuff. Since when do we talk about work when we hang out?"  
  
"Well, this is pretty big. A new member of S.T.A.R.S.. It hasn't happened in the longest. It'll pass, don't worry."  
  
Jill turned around and smiled. "What's your opinion of her?" She asked.  
  
"Aah..well..sure she can run, but can she fight? I mean you could kick my ass anytime, so I think you have a one-up on her already. Besides, I like you better." Chris drawled.  
  
"You're trying to suck up to me aren't you?"   
  
"Sure, why not? Come on back inside, show 'em how tough you are."  
  
Grinning, Chris offered Jill his arm. She took it and followed him inside. "Hey! There she is! We were just talking about you, Jill!" The coffee house sort of erupted into "Hey!"'s as Jill and Chris returned.  
  
"Oh really? What did you say about me?" Jill asked.  
  
"You know, the usual. Mostly about your ass." Richard snickered. Jill rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure." She drawled.  
  
The waitress walked by with their check, and everyone coughed up a few bucks to pay. "Alright, who needs a ride home?" Brad asked, as they started to shift out of the booth.  
  
"I've got my car, and about a mile's worth of gas." Jill answered.  
  
"Well, I live near you. Can I hitch a ride?" Kenneth asked.  
  
"Sure. Anyone else?" Jill asked.  
  
Everyone else went with Brad and his giant, gas guzzling SUV. "I guess he feels safe driving that big heap of metal." Jill remarked, climbing into her car.  
  
"That wouldn't suprise me." Kenneth remarked, looking out the window.  
  
"Yeah. Good ol' Chicken heart. What street is your house on?"  
  
"Oh, turn right up here."  
  
"What's your opinion of Rebecca?"  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, you're the quiet one, so I figure you have the most to say." Jill said with a smile.  
  
Kenneth chuckled slightly as Jill pulled in front of his house. "I think she'll do alright. We could use a medic on the team. Thanks for the ride, Jill. See you tomorrow." He replied, before climbing out of the car.  
  
"Right...see you." Jill called.  
  
*-*  
  
--6:00 P.M.--  
  
Dinner at the Chambers household was oddly quiet. Peter Chambers had been home for dinner twice that week, and yet Rebecca couldn't wait to escape to her room. "So you went through with that test today, huh? Your mother was telling me.." he remarked, not reading a newspaper for once.  
  
"Yeah. It went well. They're going to call me once they know if I passed or not." Rebecca replied, shifting the food on her plate around.  
  
"Well, at least it's a back up job. Why don't you just come to work with me at the office? You will be paid--"  
  
"Don't try to convince me with money, Dad. Money isn't the issue. I want excitement, and adventure, and...I don't want to be stuck in an office all day."  
  
"Don't you know how dangerous it is to be a cop? Have you listened to your Uncle Bill's stories?! You hear about all the deaths on the police force, and you still went through with that stupid test!"  
  
Rebecca pushed her chair out from under the table. "Thanks for dinner, Mom. I'll eat the rest later when I don't feel like throwing up." She said calmly, leaving her father flabbergasted.  
  
"Rebecca, sweet heart wait a sec." Deb Chambers called, going after her daughter.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your father has been pestering you about working at his office for weeks now. He _really_ wishes you'd just try it out."  
  
"But mom, I have! And I hated it. It's so boring, and I don't know how he can do it all day! Why can't he just let me do what I want?"  
  
Sighing, Deb hugged her daughter tightly. "Be careful. Don't get yourself killed." She said, before turning away and returning to the kitchen. Shaking her head, Rebecca went up to her room. Enrico was supposed to be calling her with the details, and she didn't want her parents answering the phone. She changed into her pajamas, and scanned the radio stations for anything good. Grumbling, she slapped the radio off and flopped on her bed. She stared at the ceiling, imagining what her life would be like as a member of S.T.A.R.S.. /Some of the guys were kind of cute..but there's only one other girl besides me. They _seem_ nice enough.../  
  
With a deep sigh, Rebecca rolled over and stared at her phone. /Enrico _did_ say he would call tonight, right?/  
  
--10:00 P.M.--  
  
Finally, the phone rang as Rebecca was getting ready to go to bed. "Hello?" She greeted, picking up the phone on the first ring.  
  
"Hey, Rebecca, it's Enrico. I'm sorry to make you wait so long, but we just were assigned something big, and we've been dealing with this since we went back to HQ." Enrico replied.  
  
"Oh, that's ok. What's the assignment?"  
  
"Gruesome murders just a little outside Raccoon City. We've been sent to investigate. I'd hate to assign you to something dangerous on your first day. You think you can handle it?"  
  
Rebecca bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she could actually help investigate "gruesome murders". But, she did agreee to be a member of S.T.A.R.S.   
  
"Yeah, sure. I can handle it. What are we going to have to do?" Rebecca answered finally.  
  
"Well, that's what we're not sure of. Like I said, we've been going over protocol and shit since we came back from your test. It seems like the Bravo team is going to go in to investigate. If you want out, now's the time to tell me."  
  
"...No. No, I'll stay. Just tell me what to do."  
  
"Alright. Come down to the office tomorrow morning, around ten or so, and we'll brief you on what we know so far."  
  
"Okay, sounds simple enough. Do you have any idea what could have caused these murders?"  
  
Enrico sighed, and paused. "Not really. The initial police report said that it looked like the victims had be eaten to death." He answered.  
  
"Oh...oh, wow. Ah..like by dogs or something?" Rebecca asked nervously.  
  
"No. The bite marks didn't match those that a canine would leave. We'll talk more in the morning. Just, rest up, and we'll talk to you tomorrow."  
  
"Alright. Thanks, Enrico."  
  
"Sure. See you tomorrow."  
  
Haning up, Rebecca frowned and sighed. /Have I gotten in over my head here? I mean, running after cons is one thing, but murderers?/  
  
TBC 


	3. Page 3

Letter to a Soldier, Part III  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
--July 23rd, 1998 9:00 A.M.--  
  
Rebecca sat on the train, which was suprisingly empty, and stared out the window. It was cloudy that morning, which was strange. The summer had been pretty dry. Stepping out of the air-conditioned train and onto the platform, Rebecca wiped her forehead. She walked slowly towards the police station, not wanting to over-heat herself. Stopping in a deli, she stood in front of an open freezer, enjoying the cold. Grabbing a bottle of water, she got on line, glancing at the newspaper stand. One of the headlines was "Nine dead, Dogs Still on the Loose." Grimacing, she tossed a dollar bill on the counter and went back outside.  
  
/It seems like all everyone is talking about is those murders. Why haven't I heard about it?  
  
Maybe because you lock yourself in your room for most of the day, Rebecca.  
  
There I go talking to myself again.  
  
Get a social life.  
  
Ah, shut up. Don't you realize that from today on, I'm going to be somebody? A member of S.T.A.R.S.../  
  
Shuffling up the stairs to the police station, Rebecca pushed the door open and a cool blast of air greeted her. "Ah. That felt good." She smiled. She remembered from the day before how to get to the S.T.A.R.S. office, she headed there. The office was full, all the members of the Alpha and Bravo teams were there. "Ah, I'm a little early." Rebecca said with a wave.  
  
"That's fine. Come on in, relax." Enrico said, turning back to something. Putting her bag on a chair, Rebecca went towards the group and tried to get a look at what they all were staring intently at.  
  
"It's some kind of canine. It's running on four legs, can't you see that?" A man said with an impatient tone. Rebecca looked at him, and realized she hadn't been introduced to him before. "Well, how do we know that, Wesker? Sometimes humans use their hands as legs." Chris retorted.  
  
"In primitive societies, that might be relevant, Redfield." Wesker countered.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Rebecca questioned. Wesker looked up, unaware of her arrival.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked.  
  
"Rebecca Chambers. I've been assigned to the Bravo Team." Rebecca replied, holding out her hand. Wesker shook it, barely, and handed her a picture.  
  
"This is the only glimpse we have of what might be attacking those people in the mountains. And no one is in agreement about what the hell it is." Chris reported. Rebecca looked at the picture.  
  
"It looks like some kind of dog, or wolf or something. But didn't you tell me that the bite marks weren't consistant with a canine's jaw structure, Enrico?" Rebecca asked, turning to the older man.  
  
"That's right." Enrico replied.  
  
"And _that's_ why we have to keep all options open. It could be some lunatic human who watched Silence of the Lambs too many times." Chris snorted.  
  
Wesker sighed, and sat in a chair rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why can't it be both?" Rebecca questioned.  
  
"I was just going to say that. We're so convinced that it's one killer. Why can't there be more than one?" Jill added.  
  
"So there's a cannibal human running around on all fours, with a super killing dog force?" Richard asked with a grin.  
  
"Can't we be serious for a second?" Barry asked irritatedly. "Like Chris said, we have to keep all options open. But I think it's important that the Bravo team knows what they're up against."  
  
"What are you insinuating?" Enrico asked.  
  
"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm just saying that you don't want to charge blindly ahead, expecting a dog, or cannibal, and then get hit with something else. That's all." Barry replied, holding his hands up defensivly.  
  
"Yeah, well, Bravo can take anything that's thrown in our way." Enrico replied.  
  
The group broke up, and everyone sat down near, or at a desk. "Alright, people, here's the plan." Enrico began loudly. "The Bravo team is going to head up to the Arclay Mountains to check things out via helicopter. We'll report back if we see anything, and if necessary, we'll take care of what ever is causing all these deaths. We'll keep in constant contact, with Richard's help of course. We'll radio in if anything goes wrong, and the Alpha team will be standing by in case we need back up. Any questions? Rebecca?"  
  
Ten pairs of eyes shifted to Rebecca. "No, I'm good. Actually, if we have to take out what ever is killing all these people, does this mean I'm going to get a gun?" She questioned. This received a few chuckles from her new team mates.  
  
"Yes, you'll be getting a gun. If you want, Chris or Forest can take you to the shooting range to make sure you can actually hit something, if need be." Enrico replied.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Any other questions?" Silence. "Alright, then. Forest, or Chris, come take Rebecca here to the shooting range. Forest volunteered, so he escorted Rebecca.  
  
"You nervous?" He questioned.  
  
"Of course. But don't tell anyone." Rebecca replied.  
  
"Well, I'm sure they think you are. But I won't verify it if they ask. Besides, you've got nothing to worry about. They'll take good care of you."  
  
"That's a relief but I'm still worried. These people are all strangers. I've hardly talked to anyone."  
  
"Then be friendly. If these people are supposed to save your ass in a pinch, they better know that you're worth saving first...I'm kidding! Don't look at me like that!"  
  
Rebecca shook her head. "Don't kid around then. I have to know that they'll help me if I need helping before I can even begin to trust them." She pouted. Forest rolled his eyes, and got a Beretta for her. "This is your gun now. We'll deal with the paper work and stuff upstairs." He said. Rebecca examined it, running her fingers over it lightly.  
  
"Samurai Edge? Hm. It's nice I guess..." Rebecca replied.   
  
"Yeah, it's a good gun. Alright, now, this is going to be your firing stance. You want your feet about a foot or so apart, and your hips like..this." Rebecca blushed as Forest shifted her waist. "Good, now, raise your arms and line up your target down the barrel of the gun. Feel comfortable?" He asked.  
  
"Ah.."  
  
"I mean physically. Nothing's hurting, right?" Forest elaborated.  
  
"Oh, no. I'm fine." Rebecca answered.  
  
Forest handed her a pair of goggles, and ear plugs. "You'll need these just in case. And also, it's good to practice your shooting stance so you get used to it." He said. Rebecca put the goggles on, and plug her ears. She saw Forest mouth "Ready?", so she nodded. He backed away, and waited for her. Taking a deep breath, her finger tightened on the trigger until the bullet shot out of the gun. Rebecca was so suprised that she dropped the gun. Her hands tingled, and her heart beat incredibly fast.  
  
"Here, don't worry about that. You'll get used to the recoil eventually. Just keep at it." Forest said, handing her the gun back. Nodding, Rebecca aimed, and fired. It did get easier. Turns out, Rebecca wasn't that bad a shot.  
  
--1:00 P.M. Lunch--  
  
"I haven't eaten all day, but I can bring myself to eat." Rebecca muttered to Jill Valentine, who was sitting next to her outside.  
  
"No? It's probably just jitters. But you should really try to eat something. You need your energy, right?" Jill replied with a smile.  
  
"Yeah. That's true." Rebecca agreed, taking a smile bite of her sandwich.  
  
"Hey ladies! How's it going?" Brad greeted, flopping down onto a step in front of them.  
  
"Becca here has lost her appetite." Jill informed.  
  
"Aw. I'll eat it if you want." Brad offered.  
  
"No way! I paid five bucks for this stupid thing!" Rebecca retorted, taking a bite.  
  
Brad grinned. "It never fails." He said to Jill. She nodded in agreement, before offering him half of her sandwich. "What's on it?" Brad asked.  
  
"Turkey. Real turkey, right off the bone. Pepper, some lettuce and a little mayo." Jill replied.  
  
"Bring it on!" Brad answered, grabbing the sandwich.   
  
The three ate outside the police station, as the clouds rolled in. "Looks like rain." Chris remarked as they were about to head inside.  
  
"That would be nice. It's been pretty dry." Rebecca said.  
  
"Not good flying weather, though." Jill added. Brad jabbed her in the ribs and gestured at Rebecca. "But that doesn't matter. We've got great pilots here any way." Jill added quickly.  
  
Rebecca turned to them. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, guys. I think I'll be fine, though. I trust the Bravo Team." She said with a smile.  
  
"Just remember what Forest told you about aiming, and all that, and you'll be fine."  
  
"Right." Rebecca nodded, as they arrived at the S.T.A.R.S. office.  
  
The Bravo team was preparing for their mission tomorrow. Guns were being loaded, polished, checked over. "Rebecca, since you're the medic, we need you to carry this." Enrico said, handing her a side-pack.  
  
"What is it?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"It's a mixing kit. There are special herbs that grow in Raccoon City that can be used medicinally. Since you're the only one with medical experience, you're the only one who can mix them so they can be used."  
  
"Oh. Okay, then."  
  
Rebecca secured the pack around her waist and sat beside Forest. "You'll need a box of ammo, just in case things get ugly." He said, tossing a box, that landed with a 'thunk'. She put it her pack warily and put her hands in her lap. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths, hoping she would calm down. Enrico eyed her as he readied his gun.  
  
"You look pale. Are you alright?" He questioned, putting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Just...nervous I guess. I'll be fine."  
  
"Have a glass of water or something. If you're not feeling up to going, you don't have to."  
  
"No! No, I'll go. I'm fine, don't worry."  
  
Enrico shrugged, and went back to work. 


	4. Page 4

Letter To A Soldier, part IV  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes: This is where Resident Evil Ø kicks in. In game dialogue provided by http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/resident_evil_zero_script.txt that link.  
  
Pinquicha: Murders! Aaaah! They're fun when they're not real  
  
Snowflake: I was originally gonna have Chris do it, but since she acts like she doesn't know him in the REmake, it didn't make much sense.  
  
Orion: Here, and update just for you!  
  
Luckie: Yeah, that was a typo. I could have sworn I fixed that...ah well.  
  
--6:00 P.M. Arklay Mountains; Rebecca's POV--  
  
We were flying over the mountains when the helicopter shook violently. Everyone clutched the walls, or the seats; anything to sturdy themselves. "What's going on?!" Enrico shouted over the noise.  
  
"Engine failure!" Edward, the pilot responded. What have I gotten myself into? The helicopter rapidly looses altitude before crashing into trees in the forest. A few people grunt, and try to regain their composure. I'm just glad we're still in one piece.  
  
I climb out of the helicopter, giving a thumbs up to one of the other pilots, and join the others. "Check the current position and investigate the surrounding area." Enrico ordered. I look around, and I gasp. There was an overturned vehicle.  
  
"Captain, look!" I say, getting Enrico's attention. A few people aim their flashlights at the vehicle, and I gag slightly. Bodies. Enrico looks over one of the dead bodies, and I bring attention to a opened brief case on the ground. "Hm? What happened?" Enrico asked.   
  
I pick up the file and look through it. "Court order for transportation. Prisoner: Billy Coen, ex-lieutenant, 26 years old. Court marshalled and sentanced to death July 22nd. Prisoner is to be transfered to Ragathon Base for..execution." I read, before Edward grabs the file from me.  
  
"Those poor soldiers. They were good men just doing their jobs and that scum murdered them and escaped!" He spat. Enrico them took the file from Edward. "Alright everyone!" He began. "Let's separate and survey the area. Our friend is brutal and ruthless. Keep your guard up!" He bellowed.  
  
I looked around, for more bodies..I don't know. Something, anything. I heard something behind me, and when I turned...there was a train. Motionless, silent. I walked towards it, not knowing how drastic my life would change once I opened that door. There were...zombies. Formally people who somehow were transformed into man-eating creatures. I killed one. Then another...I don't know how many of them I killed before I met him...Billy Coen.  
  
I think I was near the engine room, taking something from a dead body when it happened. He pointed a gun at my head, peering at me, threatening my life. "Billy...lieutenant Coen." I don't know how I managed to speak. I was terrified.  
  
"So, you seem to know me. Been fantasizing about me, have you?" Boy, he was cocky. But I couldn't let my guard down.  
  
"You're the prisoner that was being transfered for execution. You were with those soldiers outisde." I reply.  
  
"Oh, I see. You're with S.T.A.R.S., well, no offense honey, but your kind doesn't want me around. So I'm afraid our little chat time is over." He put his gun away, and turned to leave.  
  
Even though I was nervous, I started to follow him. "Wait! You're under arrest!" I say, but he didn't seem to like the sound of that.  
  
"No thanks, doll-face. I've already worn handcuffs." He replies, holding up his left wrist. He starts to leave again.  
  
"I could shoot you, you know!" I call, but he didn't seem to care. I don't know how I remember all that was said between us. I guess I wanted to impress the others by remembering every little detail...or maybe it just seemed important to remember.  
  
That's when Edward arrived. Well, he didn't really arrive. He crashed through the window, covered with wounds. I asked him what happened and I'll never forget what he said. "It's worse than we...you must be careful, Rebecca. The forest is full of zombies and monsters." After seeing some of those...things on the train, I didn't think he was crazy. And a few moments later, he died, and a zombie dog crashed through the window and attacked me.   
  
A little while later, Enrico radioed me, saying he had new information about Billy Coen. He said that Billy killed 23 people, and was in an institution. There was some problems with the radios, so we couldn't actually talk to one another. But Enrico _did_ say that Billy wouldn't think twice about killing me. I trusted the captain, but Billy didn't seem violent when I met him. That's not to say I trusted him. I was still on the train when we met again. He suggested we "cooperated". I scoffed in his face.  
  
"Listen, little girl, if you haven't noticed, there's some pretty freaked out things on this train. And I, for one, want to get out of here. I don't think we'd stand a chance doing it alone." He said. I got annoyed, then.  
  
"You expect me to trust you, a wanted felon? I don't need your help, I can handle this on my own. And _don't_ call me little girl!" I didn't want to seem like a weakling in front of him, but I was a little scared, after what Enrico said.   
  
That jerk had the nerve to flip my hair, as if we were best friends. He asked my name, so I told him. "Officer Chambers" I told him to call me. As if I had been on the job for years. He humored me, and let me go on ahead to the second floor of the train. That's when things started to get really fucked up. There was a man at the end of the room...I thought he was alive. When I went over to him, I shook his shoulder, and his head rolled right off his shoulders and onto the floor.  
  
His body started to turn into this...slime, and these creatures that looked like huge leeches started to gather on the floor. The giant leeches turned into the form of a man, and started attacking me. I don't know how many times I shot it, but it eventually exploded and the leeches started to slime their way onto my body. It was disgusting, I was shivering, and trying to get them off of me. I fell to the floor, and heard shots. That Billy Coen actually came to my rescue. I played it cool, like I had a handle on the situation.  
  
That's when we heard singing. We ran to the window, and Billy asked who the guy was. Then, the train started moving. "What's going on? Who's moving the train?" I asked him, like one of his convict buddies was doing it. He told me to go and check out the first engine car. I followed his orders, and as I neared the stairs, he called out to me that we have to cooperate from now on. I said "No", being the tough chick that I am. That got him a bit angry.  
  
"Clue in, girl! Or maybe you _like_ being worm bait!" He said angrilly.  
  
"All right! But you just remember I will shoot you if you try anything funny!" I shouted back at him. He tossed me a box of ammo. "If you find anything, give me a call." He held up his radio, I held up mine, and that's that.  
  
A bit after that, there was a gigantic scorpion that attacked me while searching the second floor of the train. I don't really remember how I managed to defeat that thing... There were some zombies and things before the trains engine started to malfunction, probably due to those leeches. As the train sped up, I became more and more afraid. We looked at the controls, and tried to figure something out. "The train will either derail or crash. I have to stop this thing!" Billy exclaimed. Funny, I didn't think he could be worried too. I offered to go activate the break. There was a large lever there, and I figured he'd have an easier time with it than I would.  
  
"I'll go to the back and manipulate the control panel for the break. You stay here and apply the brake when ready." I told him.  
  
"Ok...Rebecca!" He called me.  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Don't screw up, ok?" Cocky bastard.  
  
"I won't."  
  
As I made my way to the back of the train, there was a zombie feasting on someone on the floor. I couldn't avoid a confrontation unless I crawled under the seats, and I had no idea how long until the train crashed. That's when I noticed the zombie had a S.T.A.R.S. uniform on. He turned around and looked at me. That's when I realized it was Edward.  
  
"Edward! No.." I don't know what prompted me to scream at it, maybe I thought he was just in a daze, or hypnotized. He got up, and started walking towards me. "Stop, don't come any closer!" I warned him. But he didn't stop. I fired off a few shots until he was on the ground with blood pooling from his chest. I took a minute to mourn, before getting to the end of the train. It was a little difficult, but I managed to activate the brake. I radioed Billy so he could put the brake on. The train jerks around, tilting to the right, then crashing back onto the rails. I grab onto the hand rail and brace myself for the impact. The train slammed forward, and I nearly got tossed right off the train. It felt like we were flying for a minute, before crashing to the ground.   
  
I was unconscious for a minute or two, before getting up and making my way to the front of the train. I heard Billy calling out for me. "Rebecca!"   
  
"I'm..here." I replied, stumbling around a corner into his view.  
  
"Are you alright? Hey, we managed to stop the train." He replied, gesturing to the train wreck.  
  
"Yes..we managed."  
  
"We have to find a way out."  
  
Nodding, we head up a ladder, and arrive in a large room. While I'm looking around, Billy looks at the floor. "The Umbrella Research Center?" He whispers. While looking around, I notice a large painting at the top of a flight of stairs. As I look at it, and recognize the face, I gasp. "The first general manager, Dr. James Marcus." Billy says informativly. The painting made me shiver.  
  
Suddenly, there was a booming voice coming from seemingly nowhere. Billy and I looked around, trying to find the source. Maybe a speaker, or even someone hiding amongst the shadows.  
  
"Attention! This is Dr. James Marcus. Please be silent as we reflect upon our company motto. Obedience breeds discipline, discipline breeds unity, unity breeds power, power is life."   
  
TBC 


	5. Page 5

Letter To A Soldier, part V  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes:  
  
Pinquicha: Yeah, it's here. I tried to go through the game quickly so no one would get bored. Hopefully not tooo fast.  
  
Twas: *joins laughter*  
  
Luckie: Am I? I figured it'd be easy to follow...but then I figured people who haven't played the game wouldn't read it. But play the game! I don't want to ruin anything!!  
  
--Not long after--  
  
We were in a large, large...room that looked quite strange. There was a big pool in the back corner, and there were cages there too. There was a key card or something in the empty pool but a cage was deterring us from getting it. Billy used the crank to life the cage, while I got the card. Then, a gigantic centipede crashed out of no where and grabbed me. I can't even handle the small ones, so you can imagine how I felt when a giant one actually grabbed me. I screamed for Billy, hoping he'd be able to kill the damn thing before it killed me.  
  
"Rebecca!" He exclaimed, pulling out a gun and fired off a few shots at the huge insect. I felt the pressure around my stomach release, and as I fell to the floor, it died. "Rebecca, are you alright?!" Billy asks, running over to help me up.  
  
"Yes, thank you." I answer.  
  
..  
  
One of the puzzles we had to solve involved statues. We had to find wings for the good and evil statues and then put them on a scale. When we did, the portrait of Dr. Marcus lowered, revealing the basement facility. During our investigation, Billy had to give me a boost, so I could climb through a vent to another room. "I'm almost there." I tell him, reaching, and trying to climb inside.  
  
"Glad I could be of service. Time to go inside." Billy replies. The vent led to a torture room. Blood was all over the place, the walls, the floor...it almost made me want to throw up.  
  
While I was walking around the creepy room, I heard something behind me. I turned my head in time to see what looked like a monkey jump on my back. Screaming, I felt it bite into my neck a few times. Trying to ignore the pain seering from my neck and shoulders, I knocked it off of me. It jumped at me, but I rolled out of the way. As it came closer, I felt the floor shake, and the ground gave way beneath me. I grabbed a piece of rebar while the monkey fell; hopefully to it's death. I hung there for a long time, tears squeezing out the corners of my eyes. "I..can't..hold on.." As I felt me hand slip, my thoughts flashed to my family. They were probably wondering where I was, what I was doing. They had no idea I was about to die.  
  
I felt strong hands grab mine, and heard a voice. "Rebecca! Hang on, I'll pull you up." Never did I think I would be so happy to see that man. Billy pulled me up, and made sure I was on solid ground before falling back on his elbows and breathing heavily. "Thank you." I told him simply. I felt like hugging him...or kissing him even. But that wouldn't be too professional. Plus, he was a criminal.  
  
"Don't mention it, just keeping my word. We promised to cooperate with each other, remember?" He replied.   
  
My radio beeped, reminding me of my comrades that were still out there somewhere. "This is Rebecca. Over." I say into it.  
  
"Rebecca, this is Enrico. Have you managed to locate Coen yet? Over." It was my boss. He seemed okay. Billy stood up, and had a look on his face. I don't know what he was feeling exactly, but I couldn't ignore it. "Rebecca, answer me." Enrico said.  
  
"No sir, I've not found him yet. I'll continue to search for him. Over." I said finally. I put the radio back, and Billy looked at me.  
  
"Rebecca." He said, sounding suprised.  
  
"My first mission and I've already disobeyed orders. So much for my great law enforcement career. Oh well, I probably won't live long enough to worry about it. Billy, I just need to know, I need to know the truth. Did you kill 23 people? I won't judge you, I just want to know the truth." That was a blatant lie. If I knew he killed 23 people, I would have probably shot him. Or pushed him down into that hole.  
  
Billy sighed, and began his story. "It was about this time of year. Our unit was ordered to Africa, to intervene in a civil war. Our mission was to raid a hideout of some guerilla forces located deep inside the jungle. But the hideout was far away from our entry point. Some died from the heat, others were killed by the enemy. In the end, only four of us survived. Only there was no guerilla hideout."  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
  
"The idiots in charge had us operating on wrong information! But, we couldn't just go home empty handed, oh no. Our leader ordered us to attack an innocent village."  
  
"So did you execute those innocent people?" I asked him.  
  
"Forget about it. It doesn't matter anymore. That was then, this is now. Besides, you said you wouldn't judge me." He replied, getting ready to leave.  
  
"I'm not judging you, but it does matter. Look, now my people think you killed those MPs in the van, but I don't think you did." I said to his back. I moved to face him. "It was those zombie dogs, right? When they attacked the van you were able to escape. I-isn't that right?"  
  
"You don't get it." He said solemnly, turning away from me. "I've only got two choices left. Either report to the Marines and serve out my sentence or keep on running for as long as I can. That's all."  
  
I chose to leave him alone then. That's all I could do.  
  
After some more snooping around, we arrived at a maze of a room. I chose to power the gates, while Billy took the stuff scattered around the room. "Battle sequence initiated. Locking door." I jumped at the sound of the voice, and watched through a window while Billy killed off those hunters. I was thankful he didn't have too much trouble with them. I felt bad that he had to take care of them all by himself but there wasn't much I could do from up in the observation room.  
  
I was getting tired, and hungry, and needed to go to the bathroom, but we kept moving. After getting a battery for the outside elevator, we made our way to a strange room. Well, I did. Billy somehow found his way there. Luckily, I waited before using those odd tablets. When I put them in, the tower we were in began to shake. Billy and I looked around worriedly. When we left the tower, there was a church a little ways away. There was a room to the right, where one of the floor tiles, when depressed, opened the church doors. Since Billy had to deal with those hunter's, I offered to investigate the church.  
  
Lucky me. There was a huge bat that was larger than me. It was pretty hard to kill, considering it kept flapping around like it was having a seizure or something. But I got it eventually, and we met up again, and activated the power for an elevator around the corner. This place was a little confusing. I could hear some sort of creature, but couldn't find it. After looking around, and pressing some buttons, I heard gun shots. Poor Billy.   
  
..  
  
We met up again, and found a photo album in a room nearby. Billy looked over it. "Judging my the age, that buy must be could be Marcus' son, or grandson." He said. That made sense. He would be avenging his kin.  
  
..  
  
Sometime later, after we split up, Billy radioed me. "I found something here that might make you happy, it's an aerial cable car."  
  
"Really? That's great, now we can get out." I replied.  
  
"Yep. Let's regroup as soon as possible."  
  
"Roger."  
  
After some button-pushing, and ladder moving, we were ready to go. When we approached the car, I looked at the top of the train, and saw something flash by. It was another damn monkey. I pushed Billy out of the way, and somehow pissed the monkey off. It attacked me and slashed my side. Wincing, I clutch my side while the monkey attacked Billy. I looked up, and it looked like the two were having an arm wrestling contest or something. Billy held the monkey's arms, trying to fend it off. "Billy!" I snapped to my senses, realizing he needed help. I got up, ignoring the pain in my side, when Billy flipped over the railing and fell into darkness.   
  
I looked around, peering, trying to find Billy and wishing I had a flashlight. Hearing a sound behind me, I turn, and gasp. It was one of those leech mosters. I used a few Molotov cocktails to kill the thing, and ran away before it could explode on me. When I tried to enter the cable car, there was no power again. Taking a deep breath, I went up to the control room to see what was wrong. There were leeches all over the control panel, and a part of the power board have been removed. After disposing of the creatures, and putting the part back in, the car jumped back to life.   
  
Climbing in, I prayed that Billy was okay, and manages to find me soon. The car took me to yet another laboratory location, and another oddly shaped elevator. I ride it briefly, and walk down a hallway, before hearing sounds coming from an elevator in front of me. I moved to the side to hide, while someone stepped into view. In an instant, a gun was pointing at me. "Don't shoot!" I say. Imagine my suprise to see Enrico there. "You're alive!" I say in suprise, as he lowers his weapon.  
  
"Are you okay, Rebecca?" He asks.   
  
"Where is everyone?" I say, ignoring his question.  
  
Enrico looked around. "They should have arrived before me. Haven't you seen them?" He says. I shake my head. "That's unfortunate. If we go straight from here we should arrive at an old mansion, which Umbrella uses for research. Come on, let's go." He says, turning to leave.  
  
"Wait! I gotta find Billy!" I call after him.  
  
"Billy Coen? You mean you've found that criminal?" Enrico asks.  
  
"Yes, but we got separated and--"  
  
"No point in worry about him. He won't make it. Come on, let's go!"   
  
"Sir, please. I need to find him. Don't worry, I'll catch up with you." I say defiantly.   
  
"Rebecca...All right, just be careful." He answers with a sigh. He pulled out his gun, and heads out. I never saw him again.  
  
Going to a locked elevator that I found the key for, I waited for it to arrive. I heard some rocks falling to my side. I turned, and looked over at the pile, and saw a white, ghostly looking foot. "What is that?" I asked outloud. What looked like a huge person now stood on top of the rubble. It roared, and leaped at me, landing not five feet away from me. It approached me, twitching slightly. I took a swing at me, but I ducked and rolled out of the way. The door that would have led me out of danger has closed, leaving me alone with this beast. I pulled out my most powerful weapon and shot at the damn thing until it was dead. I had to mix a few herbs to heal some of the wounds it gave me during the battle.   
  
Right on time, the elevator arrives as I stare down at the creature. Stepping onto the elevator, I push a button, and almost imagine the monster to get back up and come after me. Shivering, I try to get my barings while I was momentarily safe on the elevator. The doors opened, and there wasn't anything waiting for me, thankfully. I was now standing on a bridge, over raging water. I looked around, and found Billy hanging onto a rock. "Billy!" I shouted, hoping he'd wake up. Then I saw some black mass swimming around in the water. "Billy!" I call again. The mass swam at Billy, and his body flew into the air before he crashed into the river. "No, Billy!" Shit. I had found him, only to lose him in an instant.  
  
Now that I know he's at least alive, I had a little more determination. I kept moving straight ahead, and had to supply power to the damn, which made all the lights turn on. Finally, I'm not in the dark anymore. After entering a room that looked like a drainage ditch, I looked around and found Billy. Gasping, I run over to help him. "Billy!" I cry, lifting him up out of the water. He coughed up some water, and began to breathe heavily. "Rebecca...where am I?" He asked hoarsely.  
  
"You're safe now. Are you okay?" I tell him. He was looking around, and his gaze stopped. "Hm?" I turned to see what he was looking at. A pile of skeletons.  
  
"What could have done this?"I asked.  
  
"They must have been used as test subjects in Marcus' research. He must have kept messing around with the Mother Virus!" Billy exclaimed. His expression became blank for a minute, as he stared ahead.  
  
"Billy?"  
  
He didn't answer me, so I let it go. Maybe old memories?... 


	6. Page 6

Letter To A Soldier, part 6  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes: This is a short chapter cause it's gonna be a little transition in the next one, which I'm gonna start writing on very soon!  
  
Twas: You were on REFan?! ME too!! I was so pissed when it closed....  
  
Pinquicha: Yes indeed. Bye Bye fruity Marcus! Go sing opera in hell.  
  
Luckie: Fixed the past tense, that's a problem I have a lot. It's kind of irritating...I write in one tense and switch back and forth subconsciously.  
  
--Some Time Later--  
  
We entered a room that was infested with leeches. There were hundreds of them, crawling all across the floor, leaving a slimy path behind them. Then we looked up and saw a man in a cloak. At the same time, it took our breath away. So _this_ is the bastard who's responsible for all of this. He tried to kill us.  
  
"Welcome, young ones. So glad you have joined the party. You are the guests of honor, after all it's your wake." He spoke.   
  
"Who are you?" Billy demanded. If we were going to die, we might as well know who our killer was first. Believe it or not, he transformed. It seemed like rapid ageing but where the young man once stood, now stood and old man. "Dr. Marcus?" Billy questioned.  
  
"No, you can't be!" I said. It wasn't possible...it just wasn't. The man laughed.  
  
"Ten years ago, Spenser had me assassinated. However, something wonderous happened. It took the T-Virus inside of my queen years to procreate my new life. I live. Now I will have my revenge on Umbrella, and the world will burn in an inferno of hate!" He laughed manically, and Billy shook his fist, probably thinking of something to say.  
  
"You'll pay for what you've done!" Billy said finally.  
  
"We'll see which one of us is going to die." Marcus retorted, laughing agian. He then threw up what looked like slime. He had a suprised look on his face as leeches began to pour out of his mouth. I had the urge to throw up, too.  
  
"Huh?" Billy questioned. There wasn't anything else we could do, except watch as it transformed into some weird...leech creature. It jumped over the railing, hit the ceiling, and then landed right in front of us.  
  
Whipping out our largest, most powerful weapons, we attacked it. I guess all the "training" we had taking down zombies and leech hunters and all those beasts, made this a pretty easy battle. When it died, it sort of shrieked before collapsing onto the floor. Billy and I wasted no time heading to an escape lift. We got on the elevator, and breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunatly, the bastard wasn't dead yet. There was a crash.  
  
"What?" I exclaimed.  
  
"It's the Queen!" Billy answered. Down the shaft, the Leech Queen was coming through a hole in the wall. Then, we heard a computer voice.  
  
"The self-destruct system has been activated. All personnel evacuate immediately."  
  
"Who activated the self-destruct system?" I asked, as if he knew. Billy messed around with the controls, aggrivatedly.  
  
"Come on! Can't this thing move any faster?!" He exclaimed.   
  
The Queen charged the elevator, throwing me and Billy onto the floor somewhere. "Shit!" Billy spat. That damn Queen destroyed the lift, which looked like the only way out. The sunlight poured into the room, and it seemed like the Queen's flesh was burning. It made some inhuman noise, and backed away.  
  
"Billy, it can't handle sunlight! We need to open the windows!" I told him.  
  
"Follow me." He ordered. We ran to a control panel. "You work on the windows." He said.  
  
"Got it." I replied, thankful I didn't have to fight that thing again.  
  
"I'll use my charm to distract her majesty." Ha, charm?  
  
There were a few things I had to turn; cranks, handles, whatever you want to call them. But each one that I turned, opened the window a little bit more. I made sure Billy was safe before continuing on. When the window was finally completely open, the Queen writhed in pain, but still attacked us. I landed a bit away from Billy, and noticed a gun on the floor. "Billy!" I called to him, tossing the gun in his direction.   
  
"Hey Queenie! Feast on this!" He hollared, before firing a single shot, which tore through the Queen's body, sending her into the elevator shaft, where she started to fall apart.  
  
She fell down the shaft, and met the explosions coming from below. "Billy!" I called.  
  
"Rebecca, hurry!" He replied, as we ran like the devil was at our heels.  
  
--Post-facility Explosion--  
  
We sat on a cliff, looking out at the newly risen sun. Billy removed his hand cuffs and threw them over the cliff, before laying on his back. Looking down, I saw a old house at the base of the cliff. "Hey, that must be the old mansion Enrico was talking about." I said half-heartedly. Billy sat up, and looked at the house. I leaned over and took his dog tags and put it around my neck. He stands in front of me.   
  
"I guess it's time to say goodbye. Officially, Billy Coen is dead." I say, not showing the sorrow I felt in my heart.  
  
"Yeah, I'm just a zombie now." He replies.  
  
I saluted him, he saluted me, and I turned and headed towards the mansion. "Thank you, Rebecca." He says softly.  
  
I haven't seen him, or any of my Bravo Team comrades since. 


	7. Page 7

Letter To A Soldier, part 7  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes:   
  
--Current Date--  
  
"And why are you telling me all of this, Rebecca?"  
  
"You asked what was bothering me."  
  
"Do you feel better, now that you told me?"  
  
"Not really. I still don't know where he is. I want to find him, but I also want to forget."  
  
A small ding rang through the mahogony themed office. The session was over. "I'm sorry, Rebecca. That's all the time I have for you today. I have another appointment at two." Dr. Londis apologized. Closing her eyes, Rebecca nodded.  
  
"What do you think I should do, then? You know, about Billy..?" She asked.  
  
"What do _you_ think you should do?"  
  
"I don't know, that's why I asked. Never mind. I'll figure it out myself."  
  
On the drive home, Rebecca's thoughts ran rampant. Since she escaped the second mansion, she'd had a fear in the back of her mind. It would come and go, at the strangest occassions. Doing laundry in the basement, or even shopping for groceries. Like everything would start up again. Living with the other survivors wasn't easy either. No matter how much she tried to forget, they were always a reminded. She hardly knew Carlos Oliviera before she moved in with him. Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine lived together as a couple, Carlos had an small house with spare room. He'd have a new girlfriend every few weeks, and they'd come over quite often and disappear into Carlos's room.  
  
With a small sigh, Rebecca tossed her keys onto the kitchen table and called "I'm home" to anyone that would hear it.  
  
"Hey. Where were you?" Carlos greeted, coming into the kitchen from the living room.  
  
"Doctor's appointment." Rebecca answered curtly.  
  
"You feeling okay?"  
  
"...yeah. I'm fine."  
  
"Yeah? Cause you don't seem fine."  
  
"Since when do you care about anyone but yourself?"  
  
Carlos was taken aback. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! Next time I'll just ignore you whenever I see you acting different!" He exploded.  
  
"Fine! And I'm NOT fine! I'm depressed, and scared, and pissed off." Rebecca exclaimed, before turning and running up the stairs and into her room.  
  
Falling onto her bed, Rebecca cried, not quite sure why she went ape on Carlos just then. Sure, he could be self-centered at times, but he did notice her acting strange. There was a light knock on the door, and Rebecca managed a "Come in" between sobs. Walking over to the bed, Carlos sat down and stroked Rebecca's back. "I'm sorry." He said softly. Stiffling her sobs, Rebecca rubbed the tears from her eyes and rolled onto her back. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have blown up on you." She whispered.  
  
"So what's wrong..? Why are you depressed and scared?" Carlos asked.  
  
"You'll think I'm stupid if I tell you."  
  
"No I won't. What is it?"  
  
Sighing, Rebecca grabbed her stuffed bunny rabbit plushie. "I...I guess I still haven't fully recovered from everything that happened...in Raccoon City." She said slowly.  
  
"Well that's understandable. I'm sure all of us still aren't 'okay' yet. That's not it, is it?" Carlos asked.  
  
"No. I keep wondering, about Billy. I hardly made it out of the mansion alive, and I had the Alpha team there with me. How could he have made it through the woods, and into the city? And even if he got to Raccoon City...god, after all the stories I heard from you and Jill and Claire...there's no way he's still alive."  
  
"Hey, we're still alive, aren't we?" Rebecca nodded. "Look, if the guy managed to deal with what you had to, and if he was an ex-Marine...I'm sure he made it to town, at least. And this was before the entire city was up in ruins. He couldn't have hitched a ride out of there before everything went to hell. You never know, Becky."  
  
Sighing, Rebecca sat up and grabbed a tissue. "Yeah. Even if I tell myself all that, I still think of obstacles that would have prevented him from surviving. What if he stuck around, trying to help people escape or something? And what if he was still there after that missile decimated the city?" She asked.  
  
"Becky, stop doing this to yourself. I can tell you care for the guy. A lot. Thinking like this isn't gonna help you at all. What you need to do, is just keep yourself available. If he's gonna try an' contact you, he will. Make sure you're in the phonebook, put your information online, descreetly. He'll find a way, if he wants to." Carlos said, pulling her into a hug.  
  
"Yeah. He might still be hiding from authorities. I'm sure Marine officials might not think he's dead. Do you think they would send out people to look for him?" She asked.  
  
"I doubt it. If they heard about the Raccoon City incident, and that he was there, they'd probably just dismiss the case and let bygones be bygones."  
  
"I'd hope so. I guess I ought to start on dinner now. What do you want?"  
  
"Whatever. I'm not picky."  
  
Standing up, Rebecca went down to the kitchen and grabbed a recipe book. "Let's see...chicken. That's all we have defrosted. Balsamic chicken, eh...chicken pistachio salad? That seems interesting." She talked to herself, grabbing a bag of pistachio's from the cabinet. Sitting down at the table, she started de-shelling them when the phone rang. Grumbling, she pulled it from the cradle and answered it.  
  
"Hello?" She asked dully.  
  
"...wrong number." A gruff voice apologized.  
  
"Who is this? Hello?...Billy?" She questioned hopefully. The person on the other end hung up.   
  
With a sigh, Rebecca hung up the phone and went back to the table. /It's stupid to go on like this, you know. Killing yourself, wondering whether or not he's alive isn't healthy./ She thought to herself, opening nut after nut.  
  
"Carlos?" She called to the second floor, hoping he'd hear her.  
  
"Yeah?" Carlos replied a second later.  
  
"Is Anastasia coming over for dinner?"  
  
"Ah...I don't know. I'll give her a call."  
  
"'kay."  
  
Since Rebecca had moved in, Carlos had four girlfriends. Anastacia was lucky number 5. She seemed different from the other ones, more intellectual. She and Rebecca actually got along pretty well. But Rebecca couldn't help but wonder how long this relationship would last.  
  
--7:00 pm, that night--  
  
"Oh my God, this is so good! How'd you make it?" Anastacia said, taking a bite of the Chicken-Pistachio salad.  
  
"It was pretty easy, actually. I just ground up some pistachio nuts, and coated the chicken in it, and stuck it in the oven." Rebecca replied.  
  
"Delicious." carlos commented.  
  
"Really, you have to give me this recipe. I never thought the two would go together."  
  
"Me either. I guess it's worth it if you broaden your horizons. Eating healthily doesn't neccessarily mean you have to sacrifice flavor."  
  
"Are you on a health binge?" Carlos questioned.  
  
"No. It was in a diet book, that's all. Besides, if it were up to you, we'd eat nothing but take out." Rebecca retorted.  
  
"You're gonna get fat if you eat that, Carlos." Anastacia grinned.  
  
"Annie...you know that would never happen." Carlos replied with a wink.  
  
The two chatted about random things, and Rebecca remained silent. /Don't think about Billy...come on, show some self control!/ Finishing up dinner, she put her plate in the sink and said she'd do the dishes later, before going upstairs and locking herself in the bathroom. /A hot shower always relaxes me...think about other things..Chris. I should call Chris, we haven't talked in awhile../  
  
--The following day, Friday--  
  
"Hey! Don't insult _my_ playing, when you just pounded out a few disconnected chords." Rebecca said playfully, leaning back onto the couch. She was on the phone with Chris, and they were reminiscing about the days in the mansion.  
  
"Yeah, but I never really learned. You on the other hand..." Chris replied, his voice light.  
  
"I opened that door, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, you opened a door, and I did the rest of the work."  
  
"Excuse me, sir, but you were formally trained. You knew how to handle a gun! You can't expect a recent college graduate to be able to fight the undead without any training, now can you?"  
  
"You had some training."  
  
"Ha, that little gun lesson from Joseph? Please."  
  
"Don't speak ill of the dead now."  
  
"Don't be so morbid, Chris...anyway...how are things?"  
  
"Fine. How are you holding up? Carlos annoying the hell out of you?"  
  
"Suprisingly, no. He's really sweet most of the time."  
  
"Wow, I'm sure Jill will be jealous. He always had a thing for her, but I never really knew if she returned the feelings."  
  
"I highly doubt that."  
  
"I guess I better let you go. Long distance chargers can be killer." Chris said after a brief moment of silence.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. I'll talk to you later. Give my regards to everyone, will you?" Rebecca replied.  
  
"Of course. Bye Becky."  
  
"Bye Chris."  
  
Hanging up the phone, Rebecca rolled her neck and glanced at the clock. They had been talking a little over an hour, which wasn't that long, considering they hadn't talked in at least a month. /It's only four...way too early to start dinner..unless I made a turkey./ Rebecca headed into the kitchen to see if there was anything else she could cook. Glancing in the cabinets, she pulled out a box for making corn bread. Tearing the box open, she poured the dry mixture into a ceramic bowl and preheated the oven. When passing the window, she looked out and up into the sky. It was a dull gray, like it was the day she left for the Arklay Mountains. Shivering slightly, she grabbed the eggs and combined it with some water and the dry mix. Leaning against the counter, she stirred absentmindedly with a fork. Glancing out the window, again, she saw the grape vine leaves rustle a bit.  
  
There was a small roll of thunder, and then a light knocking on the back door. Rebecca's head shot up. No one ever used the back door. /Does Anastacia have keys? Does the doorbell not work? Did the UPS guy go through the alley for some reason?/ Swallowing her rising fear, Rebecca slowly walked towards the back door, clutching the bowl tightly. Putting her hand on the knob, she slowly turned it, and pulled the door open.  
  
"Well aren't you little Miss Susie Homemaker."  
  
The ceramic bowl fell to the ground and shattered into several pieces. Upstairs, Carlos opened the bathroom door, and stuck his head out. "Rebecca?" He called, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. "Becky?" He called again, running down the stairs. "Becky, where are you? What happened?" He called, walking down the long hall way into the kitchen. He looked at the floor, where a yellowish mixture was pooling around large chunks of green ceramic. The back screen door was slightly ajar. "What the hell..?" Carlos muttered, walking onto the back deck and looking around. "Becky?!" He called, looking down the alley, in the yard, and in the neighbors yard. "Son of a bitch."  
  
--Undisclosed location--  
  
Warm. Comfortable. Thunder. Darkness.  
  
Eyes cracking open, Rebecca suddenly became aware of her surroundings. They were unfamiliar. The sky was dark, behind dark curtains. The room was dark as well. The bed was comfortable, to say the least, with a large blanket wrapped around her body. "Where am I?" She asked out loud.  
  
"Morning sunshine." A voice greeted. Looking around, still a bit confused, she found the voice's owner.  
  
"Oh my God..." She whispered, her head falling back onto the pillow.  
  
"Suprised?" He asked, leaning back in the chair.  
  
"Where am I?" She asked again.  
  
"My place. After you fainted, I figured I should take you here. Didn't want that boyfriend of yours to kick my ass or anything."  
  
"He's not my boyfriend. We just share the house, that's all. Why...why didn't you leave then, if you were scared? Why take me?"  
  
"Well I figured I haven't seen you in how many years? I wasn't gonna let some fainting spell ruin my fun."  
  
Sighing, Rebecca turned on her side. "I haven't been sleeping well, that's why I slept so long. What time is it?" She asked.  
  
"About eight thirty. You hungry?"  
  
"Do you cook? Is that what you've been doing all this time, Billy Coen?"  
  
chuckling, Billy leaned forward again. "You probably shouldn't mention that name around here. Might get me into a bit of trouble."  
  
"Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was about you?"  
  
"Not really. I had a faint idea that you'd be pining over me, but I wasn't sure if you made it out of that mansion or found your boss or whatever."  
  
"You heard about the mansion then?"  
  
"Yep. Out of one nightmare, into the next, huh?"  
  
"What have you been doing all this time?"  
  
Shrugging, Billy rolled his head, his neck cracking a bit. "Nothing special. Finding jobs here and there, trying to find you." He replied.  
  
"Oh, have you? When did you find me then?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"Recently. I spied on you a bit, to make sure you weren't staying with a friend temporarily or anything. Then I show my face, and you faint on me."  
  
"Yeah, you ruined my cornbread."  
  
"You could still cook it if the floor was clean."  
  
"That's disgusting."  
  
"Why don't I make you some dinner?" Billy offered, getting up from the chair he was in.  
  
"What do you know how to cook?" Rebecca questioned, climbing out of the bed.  
  
"Whatever you want."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Rebecca followed Billy through the dark apartment into a small kitchen. "What are you, a vampire or something?" She asked, sitting on a bar stool.  
  
"What?" Billy asked, looking in the refrigerator.  
  
"There's hardly any lights on."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark, now."  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"So who's that guy you live with, if he's not your boyfriend?"  
  
"Why should I tell you?"  
  
Grinning, Billy cracked two eggs into a bowl. He had ditched the whole tank-top bit and wore a long sleeved cotton shirt with the faded numbers 14 on the front. "I wanna know who you've been hanging around with, make sure you haven't been getting into trouble." He said finally.  
  
"He's survivor of Raccoon City." Rebecca replied. She refrained from telling him that Carlos was a former UBCS (Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Serive) member. No matter how you put it, the guy worked for Umbrella Inc. Took orders from them.  
  
"A survivor huh? What about the women? Are they survivors too?"  
  
"No. Just his current girlfriends, depending on when you see them."  
  
"Ah, a playboy huh?"  
  
"Yeah." Rebecca sighed. Billy leaned against the counter, and crossed his arms, letting the omelet cook.  
  
"You seem jealous." Billy said, even though he knew he was pushing her buttons now.  
  
"I am not!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Why so defensive?"  
  
"Yeah, so what if he's...sort of attractive maybe? The guy can't hold a relationship for more than a week, and that's not what I'm interested in!"  
  
"Then what are you interested in?"  
  
"I don't know. I've never really had a boyfriend before. I just want...someone nice. Who'll respect me, and love me...treat me right. Someone not afraid of commitment."  
  
Billy turned and flipped the omelet, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Sounds like me." He smiled.  
  
"You wish." Rebecca replied, shaking her head. Billy put the omelet on a plate in front of Rebecca when it was done cooking and sat across from her.  
  
"so, why don't you tell me about yourself? We never got a chance to really get to know each other back then."  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
"Cause you intruige me. You're young, but already graduated college? What's that about?"  
  
"I liked reading, and learn quickly. My parents had me take advanced courses, and I sped my way through school."  
  
"Would you have rather just gone through like an average student?"  
  
"Mm..probably not. Being ahead of other people would have probably made me feel like more of an outsider."  
  
"Didn't fit in?" Billy asked.  
  
Sighing, Rebecca cut a bit piece from the omelet and stuck it in her mouth. "Not really. My parents...God, I don't even know if they're alive or dead...they pushed me. My dad always said how he wanted me to be a doctor like he was. Medicine didn't really interest me. But he _made_ me enjoy it. It's all I have now."  
  
"You haven't tried to find your parents?" Billy asked.  
  
"No. I don't know any of my relatives numbers. They were all in the rolodex back home."  
  
"Have you looked in the phonebook? Just for the off chance that they'd be in there?"  
  
"No."  
  
"If your dad is a doctor, you should be able to find him in like..some doctor's index or something?" Billy suggested.   
  
"Maybe..I better get home. Carlos is probably freaking out by now."  
  
"Why don't you stick around here? Get a break from Mr. Hefner over there." Billy offered.  
  
"Why should I?" Rebecca asked, crossing her arms.  
  
"Cause. I still have to tell you about me."  
  
Rebecca couldn't help but smile. "Well...I guess so. I haven't had a sleep over in ages." She said, finally agreeing.  
  
"We can eat popcorn and do make overs." Billy chuckled.  
  
"Oh, God." 


	8. Page 8

Letter To A Soldier, part 8  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes: Um...I've run thru this chapter in my head a dozen times when trying to sleep. Taisetsu no hito eto negai yo habataite uke! Shinjiteitei. Sorry, j-rock has claimed me.  
  
Luckie: Excellent. We bought a single serve thing of popcorn today for thirty three sense! Isn't that crazy?  
  
Pinquicha: REFan is back. Can you tell my fans to come back? Only two people read the last chapter. :( Go buy the "hello" single by hyde.  
  
--October 20th, 9:00 p.m.--  
  
"Please, Carlos, calm down. I can't understand what you're saying." Rebecca said to the frantic man on the phone.  
  
"Where the hell are you!? Do you have _any_ idea how worried I've been?!" Carlos exclaimed.  
  
"I'm at a friend's. I just need some time away from everything. I'm sorry that I worried you, but just...relax."  
  
"I can't relax. You're the one who said you've been antsy, thinking everything's gonna start up again. Then you up and disappear? What the hell am I supposed to think?"  
  
"Carlos, I'm _sorry_. Really. I'll..come by and get some of my things in a little while so I'll talk to you then."  
  
"Becky...why don't you stay? Who are you staying with anyway?"  
  
"A friend, I told you. Look..I gotta go, I'll be home in a little while ok?"  
  
"...ok. You better show up."  
  
"I will."  
  
Hanging up the phone, Rebecca sighed and rested her head against the wall. "Everything okay?" Billy asked, stepping into the room. "Yeah. He's just over reacting." She replied, running her fingers through her hair.  
  
"I guess you mean a lot to him. You wanna get going?"  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
It had started to rain lightly as they headed outside to the apartment complex's parking lot. "A motorcycle, huh? Nice." Rebecca remarked as Billy handed her a helmet.  
  
"Doesn't come in handy when it's raining, but...I didn't want to deal with a car." Billy replied, climbing on. "Wrap your arms around me, and hold on tight, got it?"  
  
"Yeah." Rebecca said, climbing on behind him, and clutching his waist tightly.  
  
"Here we go." Billy warned, before revving the engine and speeding to the street.  
  
The scenery rushed past them in quick flashes. Lightning flickered in the distance, and the rain began to fall harder, and more quickly. "You know the way?" Rebecca shouted over the wind.  
  
"Yeah. We'll be there soon." Billy called back.  
  
Soon, Billy pulled his bike to a halt under the tree in front of Carlos's house. He pulled off his helmet and put the kick stand down. "I take it you want to go in alone." He remarked.  
  
"Yeah. Carlos'd probably kill you for stealing me." Rebecca replied, handing him the helmet.  
  
"Kidnapping you? So I'd be considered a mass murderer *and* a kidnapper...if you can be called a kid."  
  
"No, not anymore. I'll be back."  
  
Rebecca slowly walked towards the house, sensing that Carlos would be looking through the living room windows waiting for her arrival. The front door opened while she was ascending the steps. "Becky! Oh thank God." Carlos exclaimed, pulling her into a hug.  
  
"Carlos..I'm fine. Relax." She said, trying to get out of his clutches. Anastacia stood inside, with her arms crossed, not liking the closeness of the two.  
  
"God I was so worried! I was running around looking for you with nothing but a towel on. Where the hell did you go?"  
  
"I just...felt like going out for awhile and ran into someone I knew. I fell asleep at their place, and called you soon after I woke up."  
  
"You broke a bowl. Was that on purpose?" Anastacia asked when they two came in from outside.  
  
"Yes and no." Rebecca replied, feeling the other woman's aggrivation.  
  
"I'll get you a towel." Carlos said, running upstairs.  
  
Rebecca followed after him, and went into her room to get some clothes. Pulling a square suit case from the closet, she pulled some shirts from the closet and tossed them in, along with a couple of pairs of pants. "Becky, you should dry off. It's getting cold out, and you'll get sick if you don't dry off." Carlos said, walking into her room.  
  
"Don't you ever knock?" She asked, draping the towel over her shoulder.  
  
"Sorry. Look, why don't you stay here? There's no reason for you to go anywhere."  
  
"I'm not happy here, at the moment. I just want to leave for awhile, what's so hard to understand about that?"  
  
"Why? What's making you unhappy?" Carlos asked sincerely. She couldn't tell him. Not that she had had a crush on him since they were introduced all those years ago, or that she secretely rejoiced everytime he and his girlfriend broke up. No, she couldn't say any of that. She wasn't a spiteful person, she wanted everyone to be happy.  
  
"I want everyone to be happy, so I'm going to stay with a friend for a little while. I'll bring my cell phone, so you can call me if you need to. Be with Annie, be happy. I'll try to do the same."  
  
"Is that it? You don't like her?"  
  
"No, she's great. I like her better than all the other women you've dated. I just can't..I can't deal with your monogamy anymore."  
  
Tossing a few more things into the suit case, Rebecca zipped it up and brushed past the man who stood dumbfounded in her room. She wasn't suprised to find Anastacia hiding in the hallway either. "You have feelings for him?" She asked. Rebecca's lips quivered as she nodded, before going down the stairs. "I'm leaving so everyone can be happy." She repeated, before going out the door and into the rain.  
  
Lightning flashed in the sky, and rain mixed with salty tears. /What's so great about him? His just your average playboy with an accent. He's nothing special. So why do you like him so much? He's only nice to you because he feels obligated to. You're both survivors, have one thing in common: Umbrella. If it wasn't for them, he wouldn't know you, and wouldn't give a shit about you. Get over him./  
  
Stalking to the street, Rebecca paused and stared at Billy. He was leaning against his bike, staring at the floor. "You okay?" His smoky voice asked.  
  
"Not really." She replied, pulling the helmet back on.  
  
"We can talk when we get back to my place. I don't know how bad this storm is gonna be, but we should go before it gets worse."  
  
Nodding, she held on tight, while they headed back "home".  
  
--10:00 p.m.--  
  
"It's kind of nice...the darkness."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"Because...it's like everyone isn't pretending that life is full of sunshine and rainbows."  
  
"You feel like talking, Becky?"  
  
"I guess...how should I start?"  
  
"Start with that guy. Who is he?"  
  
"Carlos Oliviera. South American playboy and Raccoon City survivor. For as long as I've lived with him...he's always been..romantically involved. Every week it was a new woman. Sometimes I wondered if he was really lonely inside...or was just *always* horny."  
  
"Could be both."  
  
"Right. I tried not to let it bother me. I'd cook and clean and do the typical house wife stuff but...it was like I was a widow with two children. It was always 'I love you Jessie, Caitlin, Chrissy' or who ever. He doesn't understand love. If he did, he would take every pretty woman he saw to his bedroom."  
  
"That sounds more like lust than love, to me." Billy remarked, shifting a little. The floor wasn't exactly a comfortable place to sit, but they had both chosen it. Rebecca had a blanket wrapped tightly around her, and she stared at the coffee table.  
  
"He only thinks about his wants. What he needs is someone he actually loves."  
  
"What he needs is a good kick in the ass."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm sick of guys who live like that. What's he gonna do when he gets one of these women pregnant? Then what? Is he going to take responsibility?"  
  
"I'd think so. He's not an asshole."  
  
Shaking his head, Billy sighed. "Anyway, keep going." He said.  
  
"Right...I think I just got fed up with it all. I'm just lonely, I guess. And I was tired of no one knowing, or caring." Rebecca said, putting her head on her arms.  
  
"I care."  
  
"Do you?"  
  
"Yeah. Why else would I invite you over to my rat hole of an apartment?"  
  
"Martha Stewart would have a heart attack if she saw this place." The two laughed lightly, and thunder boomed loudly. "When's the last time you did your laundry?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"Ah..."  
  
"Oh, gross. Do you have any laundry baskets?" She continued, standing up and walking down the hallway.  
  
"Ah I think so."  
  
Billy went into his closet, and indeed there was a basket filled with clothes. "That's pretty much all I have..and the stuff on the floor. You offering to do my laundry?" He asked.  
  
"Yes. I do it so damn often I seem to enjoy it now. Where are the clothes from today?" She replied.  
  
"Kitchen sink."  
  
"Such a slob you are."  
  
"We'd make a good pair, neatnick."  
  
Rebecca eyed him briefly, before balancing the basket on her hip and going to retrieve the wet clothes from the sink. "Where's the laundry room? In the basement?" She asked, putting on a pair of slippers.  
  
"Yeah, I think so. You want me to go with you?" Billy replied.  
  
"No, I'll be okay."  
  
"Don't forget, I'm in three a."  
  
"Okay. Be right back."  
  
The apartment building was plain. Dull, faded yellow wall paper lined the walls, and a dark brown carpet laid on the floor. Pressing the elevator button, Rebecca sighed. /3A/ She reminded herself. A light ding rang out and the elevator doors opened. Stepping inside, she pushed the 'B' button and leaned against the wall. Looking up at the ceiling, she thought about Carlos, and how pathetic it was. Then again, you can't help who you love, can you? Try as hard as you can, but the 'id' rules all. Desire. The "I want it now" mentality. /Why can't my ego tell the id to go shove it?/ Taking a course in sociology helps when trying to figure out why people do what they do. Studying people's behavior can be pretty interesting.*  
  
Stepping off the elevator, Rebecca shuffled down a dim hallway. She could hear machines running as she neared a doorway without a door. Glancing into the room, she saw a man sitting ontop of a machine, reading a magazine. He glanced up and smiled at her. "Hi." He greeted.  
  
"Hey." She replied, putting the laundry basket on the floor.  
  
"You just move in?" He continued, much to her dismay.  
  
"Nope, just visiting a friend." She answered, pulling detergent from a shelf and tossing clothes into a machine.  
  
"Oh yeah? Not exactly the Marriot is it?"  
  
"It's fine."  
  
/You're being cross again. The guy is just trying to be friendly./ She told herself, trying to lighten up a little. "So who are you visiting?" The guy continued, looking back at his magazine. Rebecca was about to tell him Billy Coen, but realized he may have given a fake name to the rest of the tenants.  
  
"The guy in 3A. You know him?" She asked, hoping that didn't sound too suspicious.  
  
"3A...nah, don't think so. I'm more of a fifth floor guy."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'm Jake, by the way. 5F if you ever need anything." The guy continued, extending his hand.  
  
"Rebecca, and thanks. I don't know how long I'll be here. Just taking a vacation from home, really."  
  
"Oh yeah? So you live around here?"  
  
"Mm-hm. With a friend..who I'm having some personal problems with, so I just wanted a break."  
  
"Boyfriend?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Ah..it usually takes like a half-hour for the load to finishing, if you want to get back to your apartment."  
  
"Oh, yeah? Alright, I guess I will. Thanks."  
  
"Nice meeting you."  
  
"You too."  
  
Turning around, and rolling her eyes, Rebecca headed back towards the elevator. Why did people always have to be so friendly when she was in a bad mood?   
  
Returning to Billy's apartment, she sat on the couch and sighed. "Here, I found this." A voice said from the darkness. Jumping slightly, Rebecca looked around. Billy was standing to her right, with a paper in his hand.  
  
"What is it?" She asked, taking it from him.  
  
"A directory of all doctors with the last name of Chambers in the mid-west. Thought it might be helpful." He replied, sitting beside her. She scanned the list carefully, and frowned when she couldn't see her father's name.  
  
"Shit. He's not on here." She moaned.  
  
"Damn..well, maybe they moved somewhere. I can look again, if you want."  
  
"I don't want to burden you with my troubles, Billy."  
  
Snorting, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him. "What are you--" She said softly, and he acted like he didn't hear.  
  
"If that was true, you wouldn't be here. You'd be at your place..sitting in your room feeling sad, and sorry for yourself. Wondering about your family, and whether or not that jackass is going to notice you. You're better off here." He said.  
  
"Hey. He isn't a jackass." She said defensively.  
  
"Then why can't he notice you? I'm sure on some level he's a nice guy...but if you're so in love with him, then why the hell doesn't he notice?"  
  
"Cause I don't make it obvious. I want him to be happy so I just let him be."  
  
"You're too considerate of other people." Billy said, ruffling her hair.  
  
"No I'm not. I'm really self-centered." Rebecca replied, elbowing him in the side.  
  
"Oh really? Is that why you've broken up all of his relationships and have claimed him to be yours?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Make me."  
  
Glancing up at him with a scowl, Rebecca closed her mouth and pouted slightly. "You know, when you do that, you almost look cute." Billy remarked, one of his eyebrows twitching upwards.  
  
"How long are you going to insist that I have feelings for you?" She asked irritatedly.  
  
"Until you prove me wrong." He smirked, placing a kiss on her nose, before standing up and stretching. "Well I better get to sleep. Work tomorrow."  
  
Grabbing the television remote, Rebecca turned on the news. More depressing stories about people dying, the weather, corruption. But, the only other thing on was a re-run of Friends. Eyes burning, Rebecca closed them and tears fell down her cheeks. She fell to her side, and sobbed silently, the t.v. becoming nothing more than a blurry image. /Why am I crying again? Not because of carlos. can I really miss my parents this much? I hated living with them, all they did was nag me. But they cared about me. They genuinely loved me, and looked forward to hearing about my day or "the job hunt" or whatever. My mom enjoyed cooking meals for me, and my dad really wanted me to work with him. God, why was I such an ass to them?/  
  
Taking a few deep breaths, she closed her eyes again and just rested, and breathed deeply to calm down. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.  
  
--10:45 p.m.--  
  
Stepping out of the bathroom, Billy toweled his hair, and glanced down the hall. There was light from the t.v. flickering against the walls and a faint voice. Walking down the hallway, he glanced into the living room. Rebecca was asleep on the couch, and a news program was on t.v. Walking over, he grabbed the remote, and glanced at her face. "She's been crying." He remarked, seeing her wet eyelashes sticking together. Wiping her cheeks, he sighed. "Why do you torture yourself just to make other people happy? It really makes no sense to me." He whispered, turning the t.v. off. He was about to head to his room, when he remembered the laundry.  
  
Sighing grabbed a bag and headed down to the laundry room. He had been especially careful not to talk to neighbors much, not to give out his name, and not to show his tattoo. It was unique enough that if the MP's were after him, they'd know it was him with that tattoo. Narrowing his eyes, Billy entered the laundry room, ignoring the man sitting on a washer, reading a magazine. Opening a washing machine, Billy started pulling his clothes out and tossing them in the dryer behind him. "Ah, I think those are someone else's." The man on the machine said.  
  
"Yeah, she was doing them for me." Billy replied curtly.  
  
"Oh. So you're...God, what'd she say your name was..." /Fuck./ Billy thought silently.   
  
"Something..B..Bill..Billy? Yeah, Billy, that's right. The man exclaimed.  
  
"You must have heard wrong." Billy replied. "My names James." It was the first thing that came to mind.  
  
"No...no, I'm pretty sure she said Billy."  
  
"Maybe she called me Jimmy, and you misheard, but that's not my name." Billy insisted, glaring at the man before heading upstairs quickly. /Fuck. That guy knows my name, and he seemed a little too interested in me./ He thought, riding the slow elevator up to his floor. Throwing the door to his apartment open, he went into the living room and shook Rebecca awake.  
  
"What! What?" She exclaimed.  
  
"Why did you talk to the prick in the laundry room?!" Billy exclaimed.  
  
"I...I didn't. He talked to me, I just answered so I wouldn't be rude or suspicious!" Rebecca replied.  
  
"Why the hell did you tell him my name?!"  
  
"I..I didn't! I almost did, but I just said 'the guy in 3A'."  
  
"He knows my fucking apartment number? We have to go."  
  
Rebecca jumped up and followed Billy who speed walked to his room. "What? Why?" She asked, as he tossed what little clothes he had into a suit case.  
  
"Because! That asshole down there could be working with the Marines to find me. No one in their right mind is _that_ friendly. And, he called me Billy even though you said you didn't tell him.  
  
"I didn't, I swear."  
  
"That's why we have to leave." Billy said, going into the kitchen. He put what little utensils in between clothes to prevent the plates from breaking.  
  
"I guess this is why you only have one plate, cup, fork, knife, spoon and bowl huh?" Rebecca remarked. Billy glanced up at her. "Yeah, that, and I never have company." He replied.  
  
"I'm sorry. I guess you can't really make friends huh?"  
  
"Don't make it sound like I'm emotionally handicapped. It's not safe to have friends. Go in the living room and get the batteries from the t.v. remote." He ordered.  
  
Despite the oddness of the request, Rebecca did as she was told. Somehow, Billy managed to put all of his belongings into a medium sized suitcase. Clothing, kitchen items, and even a pillow and small blanket. "Where are we going to go?" Rebecca asked, once everything was packed.  
  
"Your place. For now, at least." Billy replied, pulling on his jacket.  
  
"How will we fit your and my suitcases on your bike?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"Bungee cords. I don't know. We'll worry about it when we get to it." Billy said, grabbing an envelope. He tossed the key to his apartment in it and tossed it in front of the door. "Fire escape." He said, pointing.  
  
Going into the bathroom, Billy opened the window and glanced down. "Shit, it's gonna be a bit difficult since it's been raining. I'll go first, and you can pass me the suitcases, then you can go. We'll do it floor by floor, okay?" He said. Rebecca nodded and Billy climbed out the window. "I don't see any new cars or anything around here, but it's not 100% safe to go out the front door." He said, as he slowly walked down the rain slicked stairs.  
  
"That's ok. What are we going to do about the laundry?" Rebecca asked, moving the suitcases out onto the landing.  
  
"Anything important you'll miss?" Billy asked, grabbing one suit case.  
  
"I guess not." Rebecca said, climbing next to the suit case. She handed it down to Billy and slowly walked down the steps but still managed to slip and fall into him.  
  
"Careful." Billy said, smirking a bit. It took them about fifteen minutes to get to the last landing. "We'll have to jump about ten feet. Can you handle that?" Billy asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure." Rebecca replied. Billy jumped first, silently. He must have practiced this once before.  
  
"Slowly lower the suitcase and I'll catch it." Billy whispered. They were right near the window in the laundry room, so if the guy inside heard voices, he'd most likely come out and catch the great escape. Catching the first suit case, Billy reached for the second one. "Jesus, what do you have in this thing?" He questioned when the canvas bag slipped right from his fingers, burning them slightly.  
  
"Stuff! Ok, watch out." Rebecca whispered.  
  
"I'll catch you." Billy replied.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just jump!"  
  
Sighing, she sat on the wet landing and slowly moved her butt forward before pushing off and landing in Billy's arms. "You okay?" He asked. Rebecca nodded, and swallowed deeply. Truthfully, she'd never been that close to a man before, and it was kind of enthralling. "Ok, follow me." Billy said, walking around the building to where his bike was parked. They were completely soaked by the time the bags were secured.  
  
"I'm going to get sick, I know it." Rebecca shivered, as Billy climbed on his bike.  
  
"We'll be at your place soon. You can take a shower or whatever. Have some chicken soup." Billy said, as she wrapped her arms around him.  
  
"I'm not hungry."  
  
"Then take vitamins, or something. Hang on."  
  
Revving the engine, he turned into the slick street and headed back to Rebecca's place once more. /Poor Billy. He's been on the run for so many years. Five, to be exact./ Soon, she would learn a lot more about Billy Coen than ever before.   
  
*I scoured my sociology notes trying to find the little thing about the id, ego, and superego, just so you know. 


	9. Part 9

Letter to a Soldier, part 9  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes: If there be typos...it's cause a)I'm tired and have to wake up early to get to Manhatten tomorrow b) I'm listening to music. That trip to the city was such hell. I hate walking. Well...I got a lot of J-Songs so I'm happy. I have to go to sleep. X0  
  
--October 20th 11:30 p.m.--  
  
They sat outside of Carlos's house for awhile. The rain pounding down on their already soaked clothes. Rebecca's bangs were matted against her forehead, and her eyes were downcast. "Just how long do you want to sit out here?" Billy asked, shaking some rain from his eyes.  
  
"..."  
  
"I just--"  
  
"He might still be awake. The light in the living room is on. Either he fell asleep with it on, or he's still awake." She interrupted, finally speaking.  
  
"..how much longer do you want to wait?"  
  
"A few more minutes."  
  
Nodding, but not quite understanding, Billy crossed his arms and shivered slightly. Every article of clothing on his body was soaked through. Rain dripped from his hair, splashing down onto the motorcycle leather. Rebecca slowly slid off of the bike, and retrieved her suitcase from the back. "Come on." She said softly. Billy made no objections. Grabbing his suitcase, he followed her up the stairs towards the house. "Be quiet on the steps." Rebecca whispered. Billy cautiously let his feet fall on the shaky, wooden steps, careful not to make a sound. He'd become good at sneaking around.  
  
Rebecca slowly turned the key in the lock, and pushed the door open. The house was pretty dark for the most part. After Billy was in the house, Rebecca turned around and whispered "Wait here.". Nodding, Billy silently closed the door and waited. Walking into the living room, Rebecca sighed in relief to find Carlos asleep on the couch. A bottle of Dissarrono Amaretto on the table next to an empty shot glass. There was a note on the table. Picking it up, Rebecca read it.  
  
"If you want to apologize, I'll be at my mothers."  
  
Smiling sadly, she replaced the note, and went back into the hallway. Carlos and Annie must have gotten into a fight after she had left. "You go first." Rebecca whispered, keeping her eyes on the sleeping man ten feet away. As Billy ascended the stairs, he winced as they groaned under the pressure. "Keep going." Rebecca insisted, not breathing until they had reached the second floor. "My room's at the end of the hall." She said, slightly louder. Billy followed Rebecca into her room, and glanced around while she closed and locked the door.  
  
"How quaint." He remarked. There was a bookshelf filled with an assortment of reading material, a large amount of stuffed animals on the bed. Helly Kitty sheets, and pillowcases on the mattress. A desk with a computer near the window, and baskets with folded clothes in them. "You mind sleeping on the floor?" Rebecca asked, pulling some spare pillows from the closet.  
  
"I guess I have no other choice." Billy replied. Rolling her eyes, Rebecca set up a make-shift bed on the floor, giving Billy an old blanket instead of the Hello Kitty comforter. Billy opened up his suit case to see if everything was wet. Most of it was.  
  
"I can toss those in the dryer when Carlos goes to work tomorrow, if you want." Rebecca offered, eager to get out of her wet clothes.  
  
"I'll just lay them out to dry on the floor." Billy replied.  
  
"I'm going to go take a quick shower, and change. I'll bring you a towel so you can dry off, okay?" Billy nodded, as Rebecca headed into the hallway and retrieved one of the larger towels, and tossed it towards Billy before going into the bathroom.   
  
--October 21st 12:10 a.m.--  
  
Rebecca tentatively wrapped her hand around the door handle to her room. Billy had plenty of time to dry off and get changed. Closing her eyes, she pushed the door open, and closed it quickly, turning her back to the room. "Are you dressed?" She whispered.  
  
"Yeah, of course." Billy replied, amused by her shyness. Turning around, Rebecca sighed and walked over to her bed. "How are you feeling?" Billy asked.  
  
"Alright I guess. But you know how like..in the winter time, after you've been outside playing or something, and you go into a warm house, your skin feels weird and burny? It's kind of like that."  
  
"Yeah, huh?"  
  
With a sigh, she climbed under her comforter and looked up at the white ceiling. "How long are you going to hide?" She asked. Billy stood up, and streched, before turning off the light in the room. There was a ruffling of material before he had settled in his bed. "As long as it's necessary." He replied quietly. "Why? You eager to kick me out?"  
  
"No. I just...don't know what it's like to be a fugitive. I mean, you had this elaborate escape plan just to avoid using the front door to your apartment. I can't imagine what protocol you've got for when you're on the run." Rebecca answered.  
  
"You make it sound like you think I'm guilty."  
  
"..are you?"  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"...I don't know. Do I know you well enough to make a judgement call like that?"  
  
Billy remained silent. "I mean...you don't seem like you would kill twenty-three people." Rebecca said finally.  
  
"So you trust me?" Billy asked.  
  
"I guess. I'm willing to sleep two feet away from you, with the door to my room locked, and no weapons within my grasp. So I guess so."  
  
"Come on, Becky, don't be crazy now. To kill you in your sleep would be sadistic."  
  
"Don't talk like that. I want to know the truth about you, Billy. When the time comes, that I have to testify or something to save your ass, I want to believe that I'm doing the right thing."  
  
"So, if I was a mass murderer, selling me out would be the right thing as opposed to lying?" Billy asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'm hurt."  
  
"Too bad. So, what is it?"  
  
"What's what?"  
  
"Are you guilty or not?"  
  
"Isn't everyone innocent until proven guilty?"  
  
"Billy! Just tell me, for Christ sakes!"  
  
He was silent awhile, perhaps deep in thought. Rebecca thought he might be ashamed if it was the truth. But she wasn't sure what to believe.  
  
"That day...in the sickeningly hot jungles of Africa..I saw my captain transform. I looked up to him, and he gives the order. Just to execute an entire village of strangers. There are civil wars going on in Africa every damn day. People have a hard enough time finding clean water, let alone not getting killed by guerilla forces." He began quietly.  
  
"Yeah. It's hell those poor people go through.." Rebecca replied, hoping he would continue.  
  
"Anyway..we were ordered to attack. Just start shooting, you know? I never killed anyone, and I wasn't about to start. I tried to tell my superior officer to back down, and to just turn back. He wouldn't listen. You know what he did?"  
  
"..no. What did he do?"  
  
"He fucking pistol whipped me. Cracked the butt of his gun against my skull, and as I layed there on the floor, drifting towards unconsciousness...I saw bodies starting to fall. And people started screaming."  
  
So that was the truth. He didn't kill anyone.  
  
"That's awful. What happened?" Rebecca asked finally.  
  
"When I came to, we were on a truck heading back to base. My superior wasn't in the back with the rest of us that survived..he sold us out. Said we all went crazy, shooting up the place or something. I didn't get told much, just that I was being fucking executed for mass murder." Billy spat, as lighting lit up the room briefly.  
  
"You couldn't plea your case, or tell them what really happened?"  
  
"No. He was my superior, I was a rookie and had no proof. Everyone else probably killed at least a person or two. They were already screwed, why should they save me?"  
  
"That's awful."  
  
"Luckily, on my way to Ragathon, there was a dog in the road, so one of the MP's swerved the jeep to avoid hitting it, and it turned over. One of the guys was unconscious, the other was trying to get out of his seat belt or something. I managed to head butt him, and get his keys. When I was opening my handcuffs, the dogs came. The jeep was still upside down, and their windows were open, mine weren't. Sick as it sounds, while they were feasting on those guys, I broke the window, grabbed a gun and ran like hell."  
  
"Wow."  
  
Billy wasn't sure what was going through Rebecca's mind then. He hoped she believed him, and didn't judge him because of his actions. "I didn't want them to die. But it was them or me, you know? I had been screwed around with enough. I wasn't about to go get the needle." Billy concluded, turning onto his side. Rebecca looked down at him, and smiled slightly.  
  
"I believe you, you know. And even if you _had_ killed those people...you still saved me. But I'm glad you didn't, anyway." She said.  
  
"I guess you helped me out too. I mean, I probably could have made it out without you...anyway. Did..any of your comrades make it?"  
  
Rebecca shook her head. "All of Bravo was killed. And there are only three Alpha's still alive. Me, Chris, Jill and Barry." She replied.  
  
"What about that guy, then?" Billy questioned.  
  
"Carlos? He used to... He wasn't with S.T.A.R.S. but he's a survivor."  
  
"What? What did he used to be?"  
  
"Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. U.B.C.S."  
  
"...he worked for Umbrella?"  
  
With a sigh, Rebecca nodded. "From what Jill told me, he had no idea what they were really doing. Just a lackey." She said.  
  
"Well damn." Billy replied.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Should I hate him more cause he was with the enemy?"  
  
"Don't hate him. You don't know him..."  
  
"He exhibits behavior that, if given the circumstance that I knew him, I would hate him for."  
  
"We should get some sleep."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Goodnight, Billy."  
  
"Night."  
  
--October 21st 10:03 a.m.--  
  
The sun is too bright for it's own good. Cracking her eyes open, Rebecca winced as the bright sunlight flooded her vision. Blinking a few times, she pulled her blanket over her eyes. As she did so, she noticed Billy was sitting up. Rolling onto her side, she peeked out from the darkness. He was staring at the floor, arms resting on bent knees with hands folded. He seemed to be deep in thought. She almost didn't want to interrupt him. She didn't have to.  
  
He turned his head around and smirked. "Morning, Sunshine." He greeted with a small salute.  
  
"Hi." Rebecca replied, wanting to go back to sleep. Instead, though, she sat up enough that she could rest on her elbows.  
  
"Bed head. You should wear a night cap or something."  
  
"No, thank you..how long have you been up?"  
  
"An hour or so. I heard your friend there throwing up in the bathroom."  
  
"God. He must have drank too much."  
  
Billy's eye brows jumped. "He drink often?" He questioned. Rebecca shook her head.  
  
"Not really. Just when he gets depressed. All I know is that his girlfriend is expecting an apology for something." She said.  
  
"Oh. Well, I heard the front door close so I assume he went to work."  
  
"Yeah, security work. He should have stayed home if he wasn't feeling well."  
  
"That wouldn't have been very convenient."  
  
Rubbing her eyes, Rebecca nodded. "Yeah. He might come home during the day, though. If he saw you...there'd be trouble." She said, slowly sitting up.  
  
"You can go back to sleep, if you want." Billy said, looking at her tired expression.  
  
"No, that's okay. I probably shouldn't sleep too long. You want some breakfast?"  
  
"...You cook?"  
  
Smiling, she climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of white socks. "Yes, I do. And I'm very good at it." She replied, running her fingers through her hair briefly. Billy got up from the floor and rolled his neck a bit. "Oh...I don't think we have any spare toothbrushes." Rebecca said, reaching the bathroom.  
  
"Spares? Like...you have one you toss to company or something?" Billy asked.  
  
"Ew, no! I mean extra. I guess you could just use mine. But clean it out when your done."  
  
"You don't have mono, right?" She promptly closed the door in his face.  
  
--A short while later--  
  
"So, what'cha makin'?" Billy asked, sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
"Oatmeal. I guess." Rebecca answered rather quickly.  
  
"When I was a kid, I always thought it looked kind of like vomit."  
  
"Yeah, me too." They laughed together briefly. After combining the milk and oats in a pot, Rebecca turned the heat on and sat across from Billy. "So, what's the plan?" She asked.  
  
"I've been thinking."  
  
"And..?"  
  
With a sigh, he leaned back and stretched his arms and put them behind his head. "I can't stay here long. That dick in the laundry room probably has you on film, me too, if he's working for the Marines Investigation Team. They'll be able to find you easily enough, and they'll look at you first." He began.  
  
"I can't believe he was really after you. I just thought he was a really friendly guy." Rebecca replied.  
  
"Yeah. But he knew my name, and you didn't tell him. I haven't talked to anyone else that lives there, except the people that lived next door once or twice. But I never gave them my real name."  
  
"So, where will you go, when you leave?"  
  
Billy raised his eyebrows and shook his head in an "I don't know" sort of way. "It's not safe for me to get a job. Or continue the one I had. But I don't have that much money saved up, so I can't get an apartment. If I had a car, I could sleep in it at least." He snickered.  
  
"Maybe...you could stay with some friends of mine. The other survivors. They're pretty far out from here.."  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Well, look at your options. You don't have anyone you can go to?" Billy shook his head. "Let me call them, and find out if they're even willing."  
  
With a sigh, Billy nodded. He hated taking help from people, especially strangers. Rebecca picked up the phone and began to dial, when Billy grabbed her arm. "They'll dump your phone records. Wait until you can use a pay phone or something." He said.  
  
"O..kay. What about my cell phone?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"Nope, they'll dump that too. Pay phone's the best bet."  
  
"Well...I called Chris not that long ago. Couldn't I say that I was just calling with information or...calling him back or something?"  
  
"Better safe than sorry."  
  
Nodding, Rebecca went back to the stove and stirred the oatmeal and glanced out the window. "I gues we can go out for lunch and I'll call him then." She said, half to herself. Billy grunted in response. "When's this guy get home?" He asked a little while later, when Rebecca placed a bowl in front of him.  
  
"Ah..usually around five." Rebecca replied, sliding the jar of cinnamon over the table.  
  
"Thanks. I guess we have plenty of time then." Billy remarked, taking a big spoonful and shoveling it into his mouth.  
  
"Yeah. You can take a shower if you want. I don't particularly like the way rain makes my hair."  
  
"No, huh?"  
  
"Rain makes your clothes smell, and your hair all...weird. You should trade your bike in for a car or something."  
  
"No way." Billy replied, looking up from the oatmeal.  
  
"Why not?" Rebecca asked curiously.  
  
"It's the only thing I've got left from my family. My pop kept it in this shoddy garage for years, tinkering around with it. He took it out at night, disappearing on my mom. She'd yell at him for at least an hour when he finally came home."  
  
"She didn't want him riding it?"  
  
"Yeah. Thought it was too dangerous cause she had a brother that had a pretty bad bike accident."  
  
"Oh. Well you can get really hurt on those things."  
  
"I know..one night my pops took me out when my mom was sick with the flu or something. She had finally gotten to sleep after like..being up for two days straight, so we wheeled it down the street before starting out."  
  
"Your first ride?" The younger girl asked.  
  
"Yeah. It was great. We only had one helmet, so he made me wear it. But I could see his hair whipping around and everything. I can't remember how long we were riding before--"  
  
"Before what?"  
  
"I...we were going around a bend, and there was a car in the wrong lane. We swerved to the right, the car to the left, and the bike slammed into the guard rail, and me and him both flipped off into the rocks. It was one of those stupid mountain roads where the road goes all the way up a mountain, and makes your ears pop and everything. Anyway. I was pretty banged up, but I was alright cause of the helmet."  
  
"He didn't make it.."  
  
"I think my mom hated me from that day on. She always told him to never take me out, always wear a helmet and this shit. But she wouldn't let us get two helmets. It was only a matter of time before he wanted to take me out, you know? Why couldn't we be safe? Anyway...a little after that she shipped me out to join the fucking Marines."  
  
"I'm sorry. That's so awful." Rebecca apologized. Billy polished off his oatmeal rather quickly, it warming his esophagus as it travelled downward.  
  
"Yeah, sucks don't it? Anyway, that's the only memory I have of him. I fixed it up before I left, though. Made it just how it was before the accident. I think she just kept me around so she could go stare at it or something."  
  
"Why was she so...scornful?"  
  
"Damned if I know."  
  
"Have you seen her..since you left?"  
  
"Nope. And I don't quite know if I want to."  
  
"Billy...you should at least make sure she's okay. W-what about when you got the bike back? You just took it and left?"  
  
"Pretty much. I left a note in the garage, though."  
  
Rebecca raised her eyebrows and brought their bowls to the sink. "What'd it say?" She questioned, crossing her arms.  
  
"It said 'Sometimes you gotta let the past go' or something like that." Billy snickered.  
  
"You're _his_ son. I'm sure she wants to see you again. And what if she got sick or something?"  
  
"Yeah, and what if she found out about me 'killing 23 people'? If I show my face around her, she'll call the cops before she even says hello. You can't understand cause your parents actually loved you."  
  
"I can understand, but you...just forget it."  
  
She got up and went to the sink to do the dishes. "Listen, Becky...you don't understand. Our relationship is complicated, okay?" Billy said eventually.  
  
"Yeah, I get it. You should go take a shower before we go." She replied, not turning around.  
  
"..fine." He turned and stalked down the hall way and up the stairs. What was he mad for? She understood just fine.  
  
--October 21st 11:30--  
  
"It's getting cold." Billy remarked as they walked down the street, leaves crunching beneath their feet.  
  
"Yep. It'll start to snow soon." Rebecca replied, looking up at the grey sky.  
  
"You wanna build a snowman?"  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
Smiling, Rebecca was tempted to take his hand. It almost felt like they were on a date of sorts. "So how long are we going to walk before you call this friend of yours?" Billy asked, as they passed another pay phone.  
  
"Oh...right. I almost forgot." She laughed, turning, and walking back to the phone.  
  
"Sharp as a tack." Billy remarked, sitting on a wooden bench to wait.  
  
"Quiet, you." Rebecca teased, while the phone dialed.  
  
"Hey, Jill? It's Rebecca!...It's good to hear you too, how are you?...really? Ha, no way!...Yeah? So who's in charge now?...he did? Wow. Yeah, thanks." Billy listened to the one sided conversation, trying to fill in the blanks where this "Jill" person was talking.  
  
"Hey, Chris how are you?...I'm fine...yeah, better. Thanks. Listen, ah...I'm actually not calling you from home, but there's something important I need to talk to you about...no, nothing bad happened. I just need to know if you can house someone for awhile..." She whispered the next part, "Billy Coen." She was silent for awhile, while Chris kind of went off about how the guy is a convict, and how she's not safe.  
  
"Chris, I don't need you to chastise me. He didn't do it, what he was accused of I mean, and he's not safe staying with me...yes, with me. No, he doesn't, and you better not tell either...why? Cause...I just believe him." She glanced over at Billy and smiled, before shifting her gaze back to the phone. "How long? I don't know, really. He left his apartment just last night, cause there was a spy in the building...because, he just knows. Anyway, if you can't...I don't know what else to do...yeah, sure. No, don't call me at home. I'll call you in an hour, is that enough time? Ok, talk to you then. Bye."  
  
Hanging up, Rebecca smiled slightly. "He's going to talk it over with everyone else. I'm calling back in an hour." She reported. Billy's eyebrows twitched, and he stood up.  
  
"So was he really pissed or what?" He asked, heading off again.  
  
"I think he was just worried about me. Hopefully Jill can convince him though."  
  
"Jill his girlfriend?"  
  
"Not yet." She replied with a smirk. "Where are we going?"  
  
"This great bakery makes these huge ass cookies. I'm gonna buy you one."  
  
Rebecca wrinkled her brow and laughed slightly. "Is this the equivelent to you buying me lunch or something?" She asked.  
  
"...it's just a cookie. Is that how you stay so thin?" Billy replied. Seeing her hard expression, he burst into laughter and put his arm around her shoulders. "God, don't take me so seriously. It was a joke."  
  
"I eat healthy, that's how I stay thin." She retorted.  
  
"Yes, I know dear."  
  
He kept his arm on her shoulders the entire way to the bakery, and she liked it that way. "Okay...we've got giant chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter and sugar. Choose." He said, tapping on the glass.  
  
"Ooh, they look good." Rebecca remarked, taking a close look.  
  
"They are. C'mon, which one?"  
  
"...peanut butter."  
  
"Pick again."  
  
"Why?!"  
  
"I'm allergic to peanuts." Billy smirked.  
  
"Oh, we're sharing?" She questioned.  
  
"..I didn't realize you wanted the whole thing for yourself."  
  
"Teasing, teasing. What do you want?"  
  
"Oatmeal." He replied instantly.  
  
"Then get an oatmeal one."  
  
"What kind do you want?"  
  
"Oatmeal is fine."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Billy ordered a giant oatmeal cookie and milk. He gave a $5 to the girl behind the counter and got two in return. He stuffed the bills into his jeans pocket and escorted Rebecca back outside. "Where to?" She asked, as he led the way.  
  
"Some park nearby." He replied, walking ahead of her.  
  
"You seem to have a routine. Come here often?"  
  
"Not really. Just seems like a nice place. It's a shame I gotta leave."  
  
"Yeah. You really think they'll come after me?"  
  
"Unfortunatly. We just gotta play it out. Hopefully I can chill with your friends until things clear up here."  
  
"Then it'll be safe to come back?"  
  
Shrugging, Billy turned into a park and sat on a free bench with a concrete chess table set up. He put the bag down and pulled the cookie out. Rebecca reached into the bag and pulled out a small carton of milk. "This reminds me of elementary school." She remarked, sitting across from him.  
  
"Yeah, I think that's what they're going for. The whole nostalgia thing." Billy replied, handing her a half of the cookie. She bit into it, licking the crumbs from her lips, letting her tongue linger for awhile. She caught Billy looking at her mouth.  
  
"It's delicious." She said with a smile.  
  
"Try it with the milk, it's even better."  
  
Opening the carton, Billy took a bite of the cookie then took a gulp of milk. Rebecca was tempted to make him laugh, but that wouldn't be in good taste. Besides, she'd get covered with milk. She mimicked him, and found the cookie got even more chewy and delicious. They sat in the park for awhile, a little after they finished the giant cookie before heading to a payphone to call Chris back. 


	10. Page 10

Letter to a Soldier, part 10  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes:  
  
--Tuesday October 21st 1:30--  
  
Billy and Rebecca went to a pay phone, different from the one she used earlier, just to be safe. Billy sat on a concrete wall, banging his heels into it while Rebecca waited for someone to answer on Chris's end. After about seven rings, someone finally answered.  
  
"Hello?" Chris answered breathlessly.  
  
"Hey, Chris, it's me. What's wrong?" Rebecca greeted as a cold wind blew, chilling her to the bone.  
  
"Nothing, I heard the phone from all the way on the other side of the office. Anyway, I talked to the rest of the group."  
  
"Is it bad?"  
  
Billy glanced at Rebecca and tried to read her emotions while listening to her side of the conversation. He silently wished he had a thicker jacket. It was particularly windy and cold that day.  
  
"Oh, really? That's great! When...Friday? Yeah, a week before Halloween. Sure...I'm sure I can scrounge up the cash. Thanks so much, Chris. I'll call you back on Thursday or something, I guess...yeah. Okay, talk to you then. Bye!" Rebecca hung up the phone and Billy hopped down from the wall.  
  
"So?" He questioned.  
  
"He said you could stay with them!"  
  
"Great. When do I leave?"  
  
"Jeez, don't be so eager."  
  
Billy smirked, wrapped his arm around Rebecca's shoulders again and pulled her into his side. "Hey. Don't get all depressed now. I just have a feeling like someone's watching me here. And it won't go away till I'm on that plane." He said.  
  
"Which is cheaper..a plane or train?" Rebecca questioned.  
  
"I don't know. Never really used either. How far does this guy live?"  
  
"East coast."  
  
"Damn. I've got some cash saved up, but I don't know if it'll be enough for a plane ticket. I'd rather not take a train. Too many opportunities for people to get on, you know?"  
  
Rebecca nodded and shivered slightly. "I have some money saved up, I'm sure. We'll figure something out. We can always have Chris wire us some if we don't have enough."  
  
"I don't want this guy to think I'm some bum or something." Billy mumbled.  
  
"I'm sure he won't. Don't worry about it. It's understandable that you don't carry a lot of money, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They walked the rest of the way home in silence, neither having anything particularly important to do. Carlos wouldn't be home for a few hours, so they wouldn't have to worry about hiding out in Rebecca's room. "I'm starving." Billy announced when they got home.  
  
"Yeah, me too. I guess we should have some lunch. What do you want?" Rebecca replied.  
  
"What'ya got?"  
  
"Ah...soup. Tuna fish, left overs..frozen stuff."  
  
Billy shrugged.  
  
"We'll have tuna sandwiches cause I don't feel like making anything else." Rebecca decided.  
  
"Whatever." Billy said, resting his head on the table.  
  
"Are you feeling okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Just dizzy."  
  
"You want to lay down or something?"  
  
"I get self conscious if I sleep when other people are around."  
  
"You could go upstairs."  
  
"I'll just take a shower. I'll be fine."  
  
Rebecca watched him get up from his chair and head towards the stairs with concern, before starting on lunch.  
  
About ten minutes later, Rebecca had finished lunch, and brought two plates up and put them in her room, before walking to the bathroom to tell Billy that lunch was done. As she raised her hand to knock on the door, she heard the sound of keys. Looking down the stairs towards the front door, her eyes widened. Carlos stood there, hanging up his keys and pulling off his coat. Without thinking, Rebecca twisted the door handle and ran into the bathroom, and closed the door as quietly as possible. Billy pulled back the shower curtain, shocked.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing?" He hissed.  
  
"Shut up! Carlos is home." Rebecca replied in a hushed voice.  
  
"What's he doing home this early?!"  
  
"I don't know, maybe he's sick. Just...be quiet until he goes to his room or something." Rebecca put the lid on the toilet down and sat down. What a predicament she got herself into. Listening, she heard Carlos walk up the stairs and open the door to his room. /Hopefully he's going to go to sleep for awhile if he's feeling sick./ She thought, drumming her fingers against her knee.  
  
The flow of water stopped, and the shower handles squeaked slightly. Billy reached his hand out and Rebecca put a towel into it. She wanted to tell him that Carlos was in his room, but it was right next to the bathroom, so they should refrain from talking until they were in her room. The curtain was pulled back and Billy stepped out, a dark blue towel wrapped around his waist. He glared and Rebecca briefly before gathering his clothes. She put her fingers to her lips, and went to the door. Once there was silence, she opened it slowly, and let Billy go in front of her. Once they were in her room, she breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"I'll let you dry off, I'm going to go see what's up with Carlos, okay?" She whispered. Billy nodded, and she left the room and walked back down the hall. She knocked on Carlos's door, hoping she wasn't waking him up.  
  
"What?" Carlos spat.  
  
"Ah..it's just me. I wanted to see why you're home so early."  
  
"Oh, you're back huh? I feel like shit, that's why."  
  
"Is everything okay?"  
  
"No. I want to get some sleep, so.."  
  
"Okay..sorry."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Rebecca walked back to her room in a huff. "What an asshole." She said quietly, when the door was closed.  
  
"What is it?" Billy asked from the floor. He had taken her advice and layed down, thankfully wearing a pair of grey cotton work out pants.  
  
"He just..had an attitude. I show that I'm concerned and he's just like 'I want to get some sleep'."  
  
"Don't pay any mind to him."  
  
"..you can rest on my bed if you want. The floor isn't really comfortable."  
  
"I don't want to impose any more than I am."  
  
"Billy. If you're not feeling well, then you should get a good, _comfortable_ rest."  
  
With a sigh, Billy got up from the floor and layed down on Rebecca's bed. "Do you get dizzy often?" Rebecca asked, sitting on the end of the bed.  
  
"Not really." Billy replied, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
"Oh. That's good I guess."  
  
"Yeah." Billy closed his eyes after awhile and drifted into a peaceful sleep. Rebecca watched his sleeping form, despite what he said earlier about being self conscious.  
  
Sliding to the floor, she took a plate and bit into the sandwich. She thought of the past, and about her parents. She knew she had relatives outside of Raccoon City, but couldn't remember their phone numbers, and they probably wouldn't be online anywhere. She had never driven to any of their houses, either so she couldn't find her way there. "There's always the operator." She mumbled to herself, placing her empty plate on the floor with a sigh. /I hardly got along with them, and yet I'm hellbent on finding them. I can barely sleep anymore./ Closing her eyes, she remembered a song her mother used to sing her when she was little. An old Beatles song.   
  
"Picture yourself on a train in a station, With plasticine porters with looking glass ties. Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile, the girl with kaleidoscope eyes." She sang softly to herself. Behind her, the bed shook slightly, and Billy sprang forward with a sharp intake of air. Rebecca jumped and turned around.  
  
"What?!" She exclaimed. Billy blinked and put his hand on his head.  
  
"A dream." He breathed, falling back with a sigh.  
  
"You scared me."  
  
"Sorry. You can go down and do whatever if you want. You don't need to stay here with me."  
  
"What if you need something?"  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
She smiled slightly, and turned to go downstairs. She went to the phone and dialed for the operator. "Hi, can you please tell me if you have the number for Don and Helen Chambers of Great Falls, Montana?" She said into the phone. She didn't really know her aunt and uncle too well. She only met them once or twice, but she figured her father's brother might know where he was.  
  
"One moment please." The operator replied. Some jazz piece flooded Rebecca's ear. She tapped her fingernail against the kitchen table, waiting for the woman to return. "Yes we do, ma'me. Would you like me to connect you?"  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
The phone rang a few times, before someone answered. "Aunt Helen?" Rebecca questioned.  
  
"No, hold on. Ma! Phone!" The other person replied. Wincing, Rebecca held the phone away from her ear briefly.  
  
"Hello?" A voice asked finally.  
  
"Ah, hi, Aunt Helen. It's Rebecca."  
  
"..Rebecca..! Oh dear, we haven't heard from you in ages!" The woman replied.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I was wondering if you or Uncle Don knew where my parents were."  
  
"...you don't know where your own parents are?"  
  
Rebecca hesitated, wondering if she should tell her aunt what happened. "No. Our town needed to be evacuated, and I don't know if they ever got out, or where they went. I was hoping you might know." She said finally.  
  
"Well, I don't know, honey. Maybe your Uncle Don might. Let me ask him." The woman disappeared, and didn't come back for close to ten minutes. This led Rebecca to believe that she and her husband knew _something_.  
  
"Hey, Becky, it's your Uncle Don. How're you doing?"  
  
"I'm alright, Uncle Don. Have you heard from my parents recently?"  
  
"Why don't you know where they are, sweet heart?" They still talk to me as if I was a little kid.  
  
"They were in Raccoon City, you know that."  
  
"What happened to Raccoon City, then?"  
  
Rebecca closed her eyes and sighed. "There was a virus outbreak and the town had to be evacuated. Not everyone made it out, though, and a lot of people died. I was out of town at the time, and I don't know where they went." She replied.  
  
"How long were you out of town?"  
  
"Just a day or so, but the town was evacuated within that day. The city wasn't safe for anyone to go look for survivors, so I stayed with some friends. I haven't heard from them in a long time, so can you please tell me if you know where they are!?"  
  
"Alright, calm down now. Last I heard from your father...he was...somewhere..shoot, hold on."  
  
"Jesus Christ." Rebecca breathed.  
  
"Riverton. Someplace called Riverton." Don said finally.  
  
"Do you have a number or anything?"  
  
"No, I'm sorry, I don't. You know...your father and I didn't talk much."  
  
"Yeah, okay, thanks. I have to go. It was nice talking to you."  
  
"Wait, don't you want to talk to your cousin? You haven't seen each other since--"  
  
"I really have to go. Bye."  
  
Hanging up, Rebecca sighed. /Riverton./ She said to herself. Going to the living room, she grabbed the laptop she and Carlos shared and turned it on. "Riverton.." She said outloud, trying to think of where this place was located. As soon as Windows had loaded, she fired up a search engine and typed in Riverton. "Riverton, Wyoming. That's not far from here at all." She searched, trying to find how long it would take from her location, but couldn't find anything without a specific address. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at her watch. A little after three. Three days until Billy would be on his way towards Chris and the others. He had barely been asleep for a half an hour. She couldn't wake him up just yet.  
  
/I'll see if he needs his clothes washed before Carlos wakes up/ She decided, going up the stairs quietly. When she got to her room, she opened his suitcase and smelled the clothes inside. "Definately in need of a washing." She said, tossing the clothes in a basket. Walking into the hallway, she bit her lip. Carlos stood in the bathroom, hands resting on the sink, water dripping from his face.  
  
"Hey." He greeted lowly.  
  
"Hi. Are you okay?" Rebecca asked, quickly using one of Billy's tee-shirts to cover the clothes.  
  
"Not really. I feel like shit."  
  
"You drank a lot."  
  
"I know. She left me, you know."  
  
"Annie? But why?"  
  
"Said I had feelings for you, bunch of stuff."  
  
Rebecca swallowed deeply. "Are you going to try to call her or something? I mean, you can work things out right?" She questioned.  
  
"I don't know." Carlos replied.  
  
"You shouldn't give up. If you really cared for her, then.." Not wanting to discuss it further, Rebecca started back down the stairs. Carlos, luckily went back into his room to sleep off his hangover.  
  
With a shiver, she went to the laundry room and loaded Billy's clothes into the washing machine. Putting extra soap, she set it and went back upstairs to watch some t.v.  
  
A little while later, she put the clothes into the dryer and watched the news. Nothing interesting. Cold weather would be moving in, police are searching for a convicted felon wanted in ten states. Flipping the channel, she watched the end to a movie she'd seen at least five times, to pass the time until the laundry was finished. Turning, she glanced back at the keyboard that was set up behind the couch. Frowning to herself, she walked over and sat down in the chair in front of it.  
  
With her left hand, she let her fingers move across the keys for a bit. "Damn. Why can't I remember it?" She said outloud. "I thought it started with D.." Sighing, she turned off the keyboard. /I've played the Moonlight Sonata a thousand times, and now I can't remember how to play./ Piano was one thing she actually enjoyed, and didn't mind her parents forcing her into. Playing on a keyboard didn't have the same effect as playing on a piano, but it was a lot cheaper. "Maybe if I looked at the sheet music.."  
  
Giving up on the Sonata for the time, Rebecca went to the laundry room and tossed Billy's clothes into a basket. She could fold them upstairs, where it was less creepy. Walking towards the stairs that led upstairs, she heard voices. "What the...oh no." Balancing the basket on her hip, she ran up the stairs to find Carlos with his gun drawn. She pushed past him and stood in front of a just-woken Billy. "What the fuck is going on!?" Carlos asked loudly, despite having a killer headache.  
  
"Carlos, put the gun down!" Rebecca exclaimed, holding her arms out.  
  
"Not 'til you tell me who the hell this is!" Carlos retorted.  
  
"He's a friend of mine."  
  
"Since when do you have friends?"  
  
"Watch it, asshole." Billy spat, before Rebecca had a chance to reply.   
  
"What'd you call me?" Carlos demanded, thrusting the arm with the gun forward.  
  
"You heard me." Billy replied.  
  
"Please, stop it! Carlos, put the gun down. He's not going to want to talk when you're aiming at his damn head." Rebecca said, despite the fact that they seemed to be disregarding her for the moment.  
  
"Who is he?" Carlos said, enunciating each word.  
  
"Billy Coen. My friend." Rebecca replied slowly.  
  
"Ah, the murderer you've been longing for has finally shown his face."  
  
"He isn't a murderer. He was wrongly accused, and he's just staying here until Friday."  
  
"What's Friday?" Carlos questioned.  
  
"He's going to stay with Chris and the others. They trust me when I told them he wasn't guilty." Rebecca replied.  
  
"So you expect me to let him stay in my house til then?"  
  
"Where else is he gonna go? People are after him, and he's not even really safe here. It's just until Friday, we've managed to stay out of your hair, right?"  
  
"How long has he been here?"  
  
"Since last night."  
  
"You were passed out on the couch." Billy added, not helping.  
  
"Hey, my girlfriend left me! I have a right to want to drink." Carlos said defensively."You doin' his laundry, now, Bec? Can't he do it himself?"  
  
"You would have seen me if I did, jackass, so get off her fucking back." Billy said, bumping into Rebecca as he stepped forward.  
  
"You think I'm gonna let you stay here when you're cursing at me?"  
  
"If you guys want to get into a pissing contest, that's fine, but Carlos, can he stay, or not?" Rebecca interrupted.  
  
Carlos looked firm, and lowered his gun. "Stay out of my way, don't eat my favorite food and I don't got a problem." He said, going to put his gun back.  
  
"Jesus. And you have the hots for this guy?" Billy whispered. Rebecca elbowed him.  
  
"I did your damn laundry, ya ungrateful bastard."  
  
"I ate a cold tuna fish sandwich."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Toast is supposed to be warm."  
  
Rolling her eyes, she walked past him and went into her room to fold the clothes before they get wrinkled. "Really, I don't know what you see in that guy." Billy said, going in after her.  
  
"Sometimes, neither do I." She replied, pulling a t-shirt from the basket.  
  
"Well...what is it, then?"  
  
"I guess...that we're alike because of Umbrella. We have a common ground that you won't find with most of the population."  
  
"So? You can find similarities with other people."  
  
"Yeah. But Umbrella made such a huge impact on our lives...I guess it's like the biggest similarity we could have, you know?"  
  
"I guess I see where you're coming from. But he's still an ass."  
  
Smiling, she pulled another shirt from the basket. "Well thanks for sticking up for me anyway." She said.  
  
"When?" Billy replied.  
  
"When he said I had no friends. I guess it's true though."  
  
"Hey, don't be like that. You have friends, that Chris guy..me, that loser." Billy said, gesturing towards Carlos's room.  
  
"You know, it doesn't really bother me, if I think about it. But if someone points it out...it does hurt."  
  
"How many friends you have doesn't mean shit. I bet that dickhead's got tons of friends. But he'd not the ideal person, is he?"  
  
"You're wise for a convict." Rebecca said, shaking his head by his chin. "Wise and stubbley."  
  
"Why thank you. I haven't had access to a bathroom that I can call my own." He retorted.  
  
"I bet he'd get mad if you used one of his razors so you can use mine."  
  
"A lady razor."  
  
"Yeah. I'll change the blade, don't worry. Just let me finish folding this for you."  
  
--Friday, October 24th 8:00 a.m.--  
  
"Okay, so your flight leaves at two, so we should leave here around 12:30. That'll give us plenty of time to get you there and everything." Rebecca said cheerfully.  
  
"Good morning to you too." Billy replied, wincing from the bright sunlight.  
  
"You're usually up way before me. Sleeping til eight isn't like you."  
  
"I think he's been keeping me awake on purpose. Thumping around and crap. He's a pain in the ass."  
  
"Well, you won't have to worry about it tomorrow. So get up, take a shower, brush your teeth and I'll start on breakfast. Bacon and eggs okay?"  
  
"Yes ma'me."  
  
Rebecca went to the kitchen with a smile and turned on a burner and put a skillet over it. "You're too cheerful." Carlos said, leaning on the doorframe.  
  
"You're too glum. Want some breakfast?" Rebecca replied.  
  
"Sure. I got some time before work."  
  
"How do you want your eggs?"  
  
"Whatever. So you happy he's leaving?"  
  
"No. I'm happy he'll be safe.."  
  
"Why do you want him around?"  
  
Rebecca turned. "Well, he's my friend. And I enjoy his company." She said smugly.  
  
"So that's what you've been doing, locked up in your room all day? Enjoying his company?" Carlos sneered.  
  
"You dirty pervert! How dare you?"  
  
"What other conclusions you want me to jump to?"  
  
"We stayed in there because we didn't want to be a bother to you. It feel right if I were to leave him alone, so I stayed."  
  
"Suuure."  
  
"Have you called Annie yet? I'm sure she's going to give up on you soon."  
  
Carlos snorted. "Why bring her up? As far as I'm concerned, what's done is done."  
  
"So you're just going to let her go and believe a bunch of BS?" Rebecca questioned, really wondering what she see's in the guy.  
  
"It ain't my problem if she's jealous of you."  
  
"Jealous of me?"  
  
"She doesn't like the idea of other people likin' me."  
  
"Well she doesn't have to worry."  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
"She's sayin' she doesn't like you no more." Billy interrupted. He took the seat across from Carlos and smiled sarcastically.  
  
"When are you leaving?" Carlos asked, crossing his dark arms.  
  
"Not for a few hours, buddy boy." Billy replied, resting his elbows on the table. Rebecca shook her head, and plated the eggs and took the bacon from the microwave.  
  
"So you takin' a taxi to the airport?" Carlos asked as Rebecca put his food on the table.  
  
"Yes. I'd ask you but you have work, and you don't particularly get along with Billy."  
  
"I wonder why you do."  
  
"Maybe cause I'm not a cocky stuck up ass like you are." Billy offered.  
  
Carlos stabbed into his eggs, tempted to fling them at the man across from him. "I'll just be glad to come home tonight, to an empty house where I can do whatever I want." He said with a sigh.  
  
"...I'll still be here.." Rebecca interrupted.  
  
"You're not going with lover-boy here?"  
  
"No, and I don't know what gave you that impression. You're such an asshole!" Rebecca erupted, tempted to take the food away from the ungrateful bastard.  
  
"Hey! Relax, Becky! You just were goin on about it like you were goin' too." Carlos said defensively.  
  
"I did not! You're so oblivious!" Rebecca retorted, going back to the stove before Billy's eggs burned. "If you want me out of the house so bad just say so."  
  
"Becky, you're putting words in my mouth!"  
  
"Only after you put them in mine. Never once have I said anything that would insinuate I was leaving. Although now that I think about it, maybe it'd be better if i _did_ go!"  
  
Throwing his fork down, Carlos stood up. "Fuck this. I'm going to work." He spat. "See ya 'round." He saluted Billy sarcastically before storming out of the house. "Ungrateful bastard." Rebecca spat, scrapping the slightly burned eggs from the pan onto a plate. Billy got up from the table and put his hands on her shoulders, and rested his chin on her head.  
  
"He didn't even eat his bacon." He said, hoping to get her to smile. She did.  
  
"You can have it if you want." She replied, holding her head in her hands.  
  
"Are these mine?" Billy asked, looking at the plate of eggs on the counter.  
  
"Yeah. They got a little burned. I'll eat them if you don't want them." Rebecca replied. Billy took the plate and sat at the table.  
  
"You'll find there are a lot of differences between me and him." He said.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I actually appreciate when someone goes out of their way to do something for me."  
  
"I'm glad. I feel like such an idiot."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Before..you said you don't know what I see in him. And I don't either. It was probably just some stupid crush. Things got messed up because I couldn't just ignore it."  
  
"Becky..you're too considerate sometimes. The way that he talks about that girl, it's like he didn't really care. She's probably better off without him anyway."  
  
Sighing, she stirred her eggs, hardly giving them time to cook before moving them around again.  
  
"I actually liked Annie. She wasn't some bar-hopping bimbo for once. It's like he put thought into who he'd give keys to his house to for once."  
  
"I guess that's why you have a key lock for your room."  
  
"Yeah. I wish I could go to Chris's with you. I don't want to be stuck here."  
  
"What about all your stuff?"  
  
"I'll just bring clothes and what I need. The stuff can stay for however long it has to."  
  
"...you wanna come?"  
  
Sitting across from him, she smiled. "I think so." Winking, Billy took a piece of bacon and bit into it.  
  
"Alright. You got enough money for a ticket? I will pay you back, you know, I just got to get a job." He replied.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I had extra from money my parents saved up since I got a bunch of scholarships and stuff."  
  
"Cool."  
  
"The only thing that bothers me...I called my aunt and uncle, and they said that they think my parents are living in Riverton."  
  
"Where's that?"  
  
"Wyoming. If we go to the east coast, I won't be able to see them."  
  
"You have an address or something?"  
  
Frowning, she shook her head. "Well...knowing they're living there should be good enough. If you don't know where they're staying, then you'd have to look all over for them." Billy said.  
  
"Yeah. I just...it's not that far from here, so I kind of wanted to drive up there just...to be there." Rebecca replied, eating her breakfast slowly.  
  
"That's understandable. But, you know they're alive."  
  
"So there's nothing else I can really do." 


	11. Page 11

Letter to a Soldier, part 11  
  
By: Hotaru  
  
Notes: I didn't put notes for the last chapter. No one's reviewing! *tear tear* Why?! Doshite?!  
  
--Friday, October 24th 10:30 a.m.--  
  
Billy and Rebecca were in the living room, bags packed and ready to go. "How are you gonna tell him that you're leavin'?" Billy asked.  
  
"Ah..I'll leave a note." Rebecca replied. "Even if it is a little informal."  
  
"If you called him at work, he'd probably bitch and moan about having to cook and clean up after himself now."  
  
"Probably. God, I'm itching to get out of this place. Too many bad memories."  
  
"We can go early if you want. I don't care."  
  
"I'll go call a cab."  
  
Rebecca disappeared into the kitchen, and Billy sat on the couch and flipped through a magazine. "You want to bring anything food-wise onto the plane?" Rebecca called from the kitchen.  
  
"Aren't we gonna be fed?" Billy replied.  
  
"Yeah, I think. But something to snack on?"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
She returned a minute or so later and put two ziploc bags into her carry on luggage. "Okay. The cab will be here in about fifteen minutes. I can't believe I'm leaving." She said with a sigh.  
  
"It's good...to get away. You've been through too much stress here." Billy added.   
  
"Yeah. It'll be good to see Chris and the others. It's been years.."  
  
"Wow. Years since you've seen your only friends?"  
  
Rebecca nodded. "I got a question. Why the hell are you and Carlos here, and everyone else is on the East Coast?" Billy questioned.  
  
"Well, Carlos had a house here, and he thought it'd be good if we remained sort of close to where Raccoon City used to be..I guess in case stuff started up again."  
  
"So you got to stay with the dirt bag, and the rest of 'em stayed..."  
  
"New York. It's easy to disappear there."  
  
Billy shrugged and looked at the cable box. "Thanks...for coming with me." He said lowly. Rebecca looked at him.  
  
"Why are you thanking me?" She asked.  
  
"The idea of going to live with strangers who most likely won't trust me wasn't exactly ideal. But I know it'll be better if you're there with me."  
  
"Aw. That's sweet."  
  
"Hey, now. I don't do sweet."  
  
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Rebecca glanced at the door warily. Carlos wouldn't be going home...maybe Annie? "Who is it?" Rebecca asked, walking towards the door.  
  
"UPS." A voice on the other side replied. Unlocking the door handle, Rebecca opened the door a few inches. Men. In uniform.  
  
Throwing her weight against the door, she tried to close it. "What the hell?!" Billy exclaimed, jumping up from the couch to help. A man stuck his arm through the crack of the door and slammed the door open.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Rebecca exclaimed. The man glared down at her before swinging his hang across her face, knocking her to the floor.   
  
"You son of bitch!" Billy exclaimed, charging at the man. Rebecca slowly sat up from the floor, holding her stinging face, trying to shake away the dizziness she felt.  
  
"Billy Coen you're under arrest for mass murder. You have the right to remain silent--"  
  
Billy tried to fight the men off, but there was five of them, and one of him. One person held Rebecca back, and the others ignored her cries and subdued Billy. "Where are you taking him?!" She cried as they started to lead him out the door.  
  
"Take her too." The main man ordered. "Grab those bags."  
  
"Can't I at least say goodbye to my girl?" Billy drawled.  
  
The men exchanged glances. The guy that was holding Rebecca shoved her forward to meet Billy. Without hesitation, Billy leaned down and kissed her. Quite passionately. Breaking the kiss, he put his lips near her ear. "In my bags...there's a number. Call my mom, okay?" He whispered, before the men pistol whipped him unconscious and dragged him out to a black SUV.  
  
"C'mon little lady." The man holding Rebecca said, hoisting her small frame off the ground.  
  
"I can walk you know." She spat, while another person took their bags to a second black SUV.  
  
"Well I don't want you runnin' away on me now."  
  
"Where are you taking him?"  
  
"I can release that information." The man replied, tossing her in the back seat of the vehicle.  
  
"Then where are you taking _me_?" She questioned.  
  
"You'll find out when we get there."  
  
"Don't fuck with me! I'm being taken against my will by people I don't even _know_--"  
  
"Dammit, Jameson, shut her up."  
  
The officer next to Rebecca pulled a black case out of a bag. Inside was a syringe and some sort of medicine. "W-what is that?" Rebecca asked, trying to move away from the man.  
  
"It's just something to help you relax, sweet heart." The man beside her smiled.  
  
"No, stop. I'm a medical doctor and I refuse to--"  
  
"Too late. Nighty-night."  
  
--Undiscolsed location, sometime later--  
  
Rebecca woke in a small, dark room. She was laying on a stiff bed, a stainless steel sink and toilet on the wall opposite from where she laid. "Where am I..?" She asked, sounding like some cliché movie character.  
  
"Welcome to Ragathon Base." A voice replied. The same man from before.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"You can call me Officer Jonas. And what's your name?"  
  
"You already know that, don't you? What'd you do, tap my phone? Watch my credit card records?"  
  
"Why don't you let _me_ ask the questions, hm? How do you know Billy Coen."  
  
"I bet you know that, too." Rebecca answered.  
  
"Just answer the question." Jonas said impatiently.  
  
"We met on a train...in Raccoon Forest."  
  
"What were the circumstances of your meeting?"  
  
"At the time, I thought he was a killer, and I was supposed to arrest him if I came in contact."  
  
"And did you?"  
  
"No. I was caught off guard. I was a rookie. We ended up teaming up and helping each other out."  
  
"Even though you were aware of his criminal history, you trusted him? Why?"  
  
"I was all alone, I was scared, and I would rather have him there than be alone." Rebecca replied.  
  
"Why didn't you report to your superior officer than you found him?" Jonas questioned.  
  
"Because..I don't know."  
  
"You foolishly believed he was innocent of his crimes. Did you _ever_ report to your superiors?"  
  
"No. All of my comrades were killed. Billy was all I had."  
  
"So you relied on him."  
  
"Yes. We relied on each other, which is why we managed to escape. We went our seperate ways and I haven't heard from him until a few days ago."  
  
"What were the circumstances of this meeting?" Jonas continued. Rebecca sighed.  
  
"He just wanted to get in contact to see how I was doing." She replied.  
  
"How did he come to be living in your house?"  
  
"He needed a place to stay."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe he was between places." She decided to be as vague as possible so she didn't implicate either of them further.  
  
"What about the luggage? Where were you going?" Their bags were in the corner of the cell.  
  
"To visit some friends."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"The east coast. Can I go to the bathroom and get something to eat, please?"  
  
"Not just yet. You'll have to write it all down." Jonas said, pushing a legal pad in her direction.  
  
"Why? I haven't been arrested, I don't even know what I'm doing here." Rebecca said angrilly.  
  
"He's still a wanted criminal. You deterred the United States Marine Corps in finding a wanted criminal. We don't know if there will be charges pressed against you, so if you'd just cooperate and write down what we ask, we'll get things moving."  
  
"When can I see him?"  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"Well I'm not writing until you tell me when I can see him."  
  
Jonas frowned smugly. "Get writing, and I'll go see alright?" He said finally.  
  
"Fine. Thank you." Once he left the cell, Rebecca went over to their luggage and looked around in Billy's bag. She promised to call his mom. /Although...if we manage to get his mom to come, or talk to Billy, maybe she can convince then that he's innocent. They don't have a good relationship, but if she believes him, then they should too./ Finding a piece of paper with some information scrawled on it, she put it in her pocket.   
  
Trying to be as vague as possible, she wrote up all the information she had on Billy. Jonas returned a little bit later with a candy bar and a bottle of soda. "It's all I could scrounge up." He said, putting them on the bed beside Rebecca.  
  
"Thanks. I'm almost finished with this. When can I see him?" She asked.  
  
"In a little bit. He's giving our men some trouble."  
  
"Are you trying to get him to confess?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You can't make an innocent man confess. Why don't you believe that he didn't kill those people?"  
  
"We have eyewitness accounts."  
  
"Of who? His comrades? Come on, they're the ones who killed those people. Billy tried to stop his superior, and got knocked out. Just like the My Lai massacre, except he's innocent." Rebecca said.  
  
"My Lai..." Jonas said.  
  
"Yes. In Vietnam, some military company killed an entire village of women, children, and the elderly because they thought the Viet Kong would be there. Same thing happened in Africa, with Billy, except he tried to stop them. And now he's being blamed for shit he didn't do."  
  
"Alright, just finish up with that and then you can go talk to him, alright?"  
  
--Later--  
  
"Where are you keeping him?" Rebecca asked, as she and Jonas walked down a long hallway towards where Billy was being held.  
  
"A observation cell. You can eat lunch together." Jonas replied.  
  
"Gee, you're being so hospitable now. Why the sudden change of heart?"  
  
"Would you rather eat alone? It can be arranged."  
  
"No."  
  
There weren't any other people walking around, which seemed suspicious to Rebecca. Just what kind of base was this?  
  
"Alright, we're here. Now remember, he's under arrest, and anything he says can and will be used against him. So watch your words." Jonas warned.  
  
"I don't have to worry about that because he's innocent." Rebecca insisted.   
  
"Whatever you say."  
  
Jonas unlocked the door to a dark looking room with no windows, just a mirror. Billy was sitting on a chair, staring at the table. "Billy!" Rebecca exclaimed, running over to him. His head shot up, as if he had began to fall asleep.  
  
"Becky? What are you doing here?" He asked, standing up to give her a hug.  
  
"They took me in too. They made me write down everything I knew about you, and everything that happened when we met."  
  
"I hope you don't get yourself in trouble by covering for me."  
  
"How would I? I just told the truth."  
  
"What about me being a criminal, and you not arresting me and all that bullshit?" Billy asked.  
  
"I just said that I was a rookie, and that I'd rather be with someone than be all on my own. If they can't believe that, then..." Rebecca replied.  
  
"How have they been treating you?"  
  
"Alright, I guess. I wish I knew what was going on. They can't just take someone against their will and drug them."  
  
"They drugged you?"  
  
Rebecca revealed the puncture wound on her neck. "Yeah, it was some kind of sedative so I'd shut up I guess. But this is illegal. I want to get out of here." She answered.  
  
"I'm sorry you have to be here because of me." Billy apologized.   
  
"It's better than being alone, isn't it?" She smiled.   
  
"Yeah...hey, up, did you do what I asked..?"  
  
"No, I couldn't. They scooped me up and tossed me into a cell. But I think I have a plan."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
"Well, you and your mother don't have a great relationship, right?" Rebecca began.  
  
"Yeah, and?" Billy said slowly.  
  
"Well, if they bring her here, and let her talk to you, and...interrogate you, and if she believes that you're innocent, despite her not really liking you, then that might convince them that you're innocent too."  
  
"That's a long shot..."  
  
"I know. But I can't think of anything else. I mean, I could call Chris, but I don't know what he'll be able to do."  
  
"He might be able to get you out of here, at least."  
  
"That's not enough. I want these people to leave you the fuck alone." Rebecca exclaimed at the mirror. She knew they were behind there, listening.  
  
"You and me both, babe." Billy replied.   
  
"God I'm starving...they said we can eat together."  
  
"How nice of them."  
  
"Yeah, right? So what have they done with you?"  
  
"Ah...asked me a bunch of questions, beat me around a bit. Nothing much."  
  
"Oh my God, are you alright?"  
  
Billy shrugged it off. "Yeah, you probably could hurt me more than them."  
  
"Don't piss them off more. I'll find you a good lawyer, and we'll solve this somehow."  
  
The door to the cell opened, and two guards walked in with trays of food and placed them on the table. "When can I make a phone call?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"When we say you can." One of them replied, closing the door quickly.   
  
"This is ridiculous." She sighed, looking down at the small meal.  
  
"What the hell is this? A cheese sandwich? I haven't had a cheese sandwich since elementary school." Billy spat, slapping the sandwich back on the plate.  
  
"I wasn't exactly expecting a sirloin steak but...water, a cheese sandwich, and an apple. Wow. Where are our tax dollars going to?"  
  
"Billion dollar planes. This country sickens me."  
  
"Billy, don't. You'll just piss them off, and they won't show you any mercy."  
  
"I don't want mercy! I want to get the fuck out of here!"  
  
He got up from the table and went over to the mirror. "You hear me, assholes? Let me out!" He shouted, shoving his middle finger against the glass before turning to pace around the room. An officer entered the room and approached Billy.  
  
"You need to relax. We've called your mother, and she's on her way. And she's _very_ disappointed in you." The man sneered. Rebecca saw Billy clench his fists.  
  
"Billy, don't." She warned. "Leave him alone. Get out of here if you've got nothing important to say." She said to the man.  
  
"We're gonna lock you up for life, punk. Enjoy you're girl here while you can."  
  
"Get the fuck out of my face or I swear to God--"  
  
Ignoring Billy's threat, the man turned, smiled sweetly at Rebecca, and left. "Dirty son of a bitch." Billy spat, slamming down into the chair.  
  
"You need to try to calm down. They're doing this on purpose. Even if they can't incarcerate you because of what happened in Africa, if you attack on officer, you'll get locked up." Rebecca said softly.   
  
"Yeah, I know. They called my mom, just like I thought. Man, I haven't seen her in years."  
  
"I wonder what she's going to say when she see's you."  
  
"She'll probably slap me, and shove me and yell at me and accuse me of murder before settling down and actually listening to me."  
  
--A Few Hours Later--  
  
Rebecca was lightly sleeping back in her cell when she was woken by a loud bang. It was a man, not Jones, someone else. He grabbed Rebecca by the arm and yanked her up. "Hey, what are you doing?!" She exclaimed, as he dragged her into the hallway.  
  
"Shut up." He replied.  
  
"Where are you taking me?!"  
  
"I said shut up. I'm doing you a favor."  
  
Rebecca continued to scream and grunt and try to break free from the man's iron grasp. He pulled open a door and shoved Rebecca into a small room. It was the viewing room. She could see Billy sitting at a table, and a woman sitting across from him. "Why...why are you showing me this?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"Like I said, I'm doing you a favor." The man replied, standing guard at the door.  
  
"But why?"  
  
"I knew Billy back when he was still a Marine, and he's a good guy. I figured it'd be good for you to see this."  
  
"I take it no one knows that you knew him."  
  
"Of course not. I don't want to go to trial, and I don't want them to threaten me into lying about it."  
  
"When did she get here?" Rebecca asked lowly.  
  
"A few minutes ago. She really hates him." The man replied, flipping a switch that would allow them to hear the conversation in the other room.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Billy asked, crossing his arms.   
  
"What do you think? My son winds up in prison, do you think I'm just going to sit at home and ignore it?" His mother replied quickly.   
  
"You've ignored me up until now."  
  
"So what?! You killed my husband!"  
  
"Did I, Ma? Wasn't it you who insisted on not letting him have two helmets? Wasn't it you who forbid me to ride his bike? God, are you retarded or something? I was a teenager, who idolized his father, who had an awesome motorcycle. Did you really think that he wouldn't let me ride it?!"  
  
"He promised me he wouldn't."  
  
"And you believed him? He loved me, too you know." Billy scoffed.  
  
"Sometimes I wonder why." His mother retorted.  
  
"Leave. Get the fuck out of my face if this is all you're going to do."  
  
"Why don't you tell me about these murders?"  
  
"You've already decided that I'm guilty, haven't you?"  
  
"What happened."  
  
Billy sighed. "The company I was in in the Marines, they killed a group of innocent people. When I tried to stop my Captain, he knocked me out and proceeded to kill." He replied.  
  
"You didn't kill anyone?" His mother questioned.  
  
"Why would I? We'd been walking in the damn jungle for days, with nothing but water and nuts to eat. When we got there, all I wanted to do was sit my ass down and rest. I had no reason to shoot up the place."  
  
"You've had a temper since you were a kid. I was worried you'd get arrested for burning your school down when you were 12. Why should I believe you wouldn't take the opportunity to kill people, when you were ordered to?"  
  
"You have so little faith in me. Dad raised me so well. You seemed to forget he was my father." Billy muttered.  
  
"Where have you been? Why haven't you called me?"  
  
"Why the hell should I? You hate me! And how did I know that you weren't after me cause you heard about what happened in Africa? I thought you'd turn me in."  
  
"Are you guilty?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Are you guilty?!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Swear on your father's grave!"  
  
Billy jumped up from his chair and slammed his hands down on the table. "I swear on Dad's fucking grave that I didn't kill one goddamn soul!" He shouted at her. "You happy now?!"  
  
The woman stood up, and knocked on the door that led out of the room. The door opened, and a officer appeared. "My boy is innocent. You let him go immediately, or you'll be speaking with my lawyers." She said, before walking out of the room. 


	12. Page 12

Letter to a Soldier, part 12  
By: Hotaru 

Notes: So...I'm thinking of how I should end this...and I don't know what it'll be.

  
Rebecca sighed deeply. "Wow." She breathed.  
"We should go now." The officer said.  
"Yeah..I..thanks. I really hope you don't get in trouble."  
"Don't worry about it. I'll just say you needed fresh air if anyone sees us."  
"Alright."

He led back to her room once the halls were clear. "When you talk to Billy again, tell him Kamikaze Rick gives him his best regards." The man said.  
"Rick, is that your name?" Rebecca asked quietly.  
"Rick Tanaka. Catch you later."

With a sigh, Rebecca pulled out her cell phone to see if she got a signal. Not to her suprise, there was no service. _/I have to call Chris and let him know what's going on./ _She thought, biting her lower lip. Standing up, she went to the door to see if anyone was out there. To her suprise, Rick was there, standing guard. She knocked on the glass of the window to get his attention. He turned, and made sure no one was coming down the hallway before opening the door.

"What's up?" He asked quickly.  
"My friend was expecting to meet me and Billy today, and I really need to call him and let him know what's going on, but my phone doesn't get a signal in here." Rebecca replied.  
"Alright. Hang tight, let me go get permission to take you to the phones, okay? I'll be right back." Rebecca nodded, and went to sit on her bed. _/If everything goes well, they'll release me and Billy soon. But, they might take him to trial again. In that case, I'll probably have to testify on his behalf. That guy...Tanaka, he said he knew Billy before, and that he didn't want to be pressured about lying about what happened. He couldn't have been in the same corps as Billy, but maybe he witnessed what happened. If he could testify, that'd be great, but I don't know if he'd be willing to leave the Marines for it./_

She looked at the walls of her cell. There wasn't a single window. _/It's probably night-time already./_ She sighed. A few minutes later, Tanaka appeared. "Okay, let's go." He said, gruffly, as two people in camaflouge passed the room. Rebecca got up silently from the bed and followed him. "You get about ten minutes, so say everything you need to say, got it?" He continued as they walked down the hall way.  
"Yeah. What do I tell him? I don't even know where I am." Rebecca asnwered.  
"Ragathon Base. Didn't he ever tell you?"  
"I think he mentioned it was off of the west coast or something."

They arrived at a group of pay phones, that had a seat, and small curtain. Sitting down in the seat, Rebecca went to close the curtain, but Rick did it instead. Noticing a slip of paper in his hand, she grabbed it quickly. Unfolding it, she smiled. _/125 West Longitude, 38 North Latitude/_ Picking up the phone she dialed Chris' number. It rang for awhile, before someone answered.  
"Hello?"  
"Chris, it's Rebecca."  
"Oh, God, where the hell are you!?"  
"Off the coast of California, is the best guess I can give you. I've kind of been arrested illegally."  
"...what?"  
"Billy and I were about to leave, when a group of Marine Police Officers practically broke in, and put us into cars. They injected me with something, so I was knocked out, and when I woke up I was here, on Ragathon Base." She explained, making sure to keep her voice down.

"What have they told you?" Chris asked.  
"Nothing! They haven't said that we'll be released, or if I will, they haven't read me my rights, so this is illegal, isn't it?"  
"Yeah, I guess. Have they questioned you?"  
"Mm-hmm. I told them everything I know, but they still are keeping me here."  
"What about Billy?"  
"They just brought his Mother in, since she hates his guts."  
"Why would they bring her in then?"  
"I guess to see if she thinks that he's innocent."  
"..so if his own mother, who hates him, believes him, then maybe he's telling the truth?"

"That's what I figured." She answered.  
"Alright. Have you called a lawyer or anything?" Chris questioned.  
"No. But I do have the coordinates of the base." She whispered lowly.  
"How?"  
"Don't worry about how. Just get a pen ready."  
"Okay, hold on.................alright, go ahead."  
"125 W Longitude, 38 N Latitude."  
"Give me a second to find whre that is.."  
"Ok."

There was silence on the other end for awhile, other than the clicking of a mouse, and the sound of Chris typing. "Okay, got it. You're a little bit off the Northern Coast of California. I'll call you a lawyer, you threaten to sue them, and we'll try to get out there as soon as we can." He replied.  
"Okay, hopefully someone will explain what's going to happen. We've been here all day, and I don't know my own fate."  
"Don't worry about it. They aren't outside the law, so just..try to stay cool, and--can you call again?"  
"I don't know. Maybe, if it's to talk to a lawyer."  
"Okay...okay, be safe, kiddo."  
"Don't call me that..but I will."  
"Bye."  
"Bye."

She hung up the phone and put the slip of paper in her pocket. Pulling back the curtain, she stepped out of the booth. "Done?" Tanaka asked.  
"Yeah. So can you get...Jones, or whoever it is that's in charge? I need to know if I need a lawyer." Rebecca asked.  
"Well, I don't thik you need a lawyer. They should be releasing you before long, but I don't know the details."  
"Neither do I. Thanks for your help. Do you..know what's going to happen to Billy?" She said quietly.  
"I've heard rumors of there being another trial, but no one knows for sure."  
"If there is a trial...would you testify?"  
"..."  
"I mean..he needs all the help he can get. _I_ believe him, but they might shrug me off as just some naïve girl who's in love or something."  
"Look, if I testify..I'll lose everything. This is all I have. They're paying my tuition, pay for my apartment...I didn't tell any one anything when we got back from Africa. I knew that if I did, I'd lose everything."

Rebecca sighed. "How much longer do you have to be in college?" She asked.  
"A year or so. Depends how many classes I take. As it is, the most work I could get is bussing tables, or some shit like that."  
"There's corruption here. Maybe you should talk to a lawyer, and if they try to boot you, then you can sue them."  
"I can't afford a lawyer."  
"Just threaten them with one."  
"You're getting a little ahead here. We don't even know if there'll be a trial or not. Just stick around, I'll get Jones to come talk to you, alright?"

They arrived back at her cell, and he opened the door for her. "Yeah, okay. Thank you."  
"I wasn't here." Tanaka said with a wink.

  
--A short while later--

Jonas entered Rebecca's room and coughed loudly. She had been sleeping lightly, and woke with a start. "So you're finally back." She said, rubbing her eyes.  
"Yes." Jonas answered, sitting at the table.  
"So, what's the deal?"  
"There is most likely going to be another trial. The court will examine evidence again, Coen will be interrogated again."  
"And until then, do I just sit here as your illegal captive. If so, I'm calling my lawyer."  
"We'll be releasing you tomorrow. It's already well into the evening, and I'm sure you have no place to stay, right?"  
"No. What time is it?"

He looked at his watch. "About eight o'clock. You'll be having dinner soon, and then a team will come in to video tape your interrogation so that it may be used as evidence during the trial." He replied.  
"Can I eat with Billy?" Rebecca asked.  
"His mother asked the same thing. She's a maniac."  
"Oh? I didn't know she was here."  
"Yes, we brought her in, and she thinks he's innocent and will testify during the trial. They'll be eating together in the visiting hall. I suppose you can go if you would like."

"Yes, please." She answered. She stood and walked to the door, but Jonas stayed where he was. 

"It seems that there will be another trial. I'd suggest your friend gets a lawyer." He said.

"Yeah..."

_/It was stupid of me to think they would let him go without a second thought. All I can do now is hire him a lawyer and hope that they find him innocent./_  



	13. Page 13

Letter to a Soldier part 13

By: Hotaru

Notes: What the hell is with this stupid hook up phone lines? God, it's such BS. And what's with the lack of good infomercials these days? I was stuck watching some...thing for the "Gazelle" exercise bike. I want to see my Turbocooker dammit! Anyway, onward.

-=-

A short while later, Rebecca was led to what she assumed was a catering hall. There, she spotted Billy, and his mother. Billy caught sight of her and smiled. "Two meals together in one day, it must be some kind of record." He grinned, his voice echoing slightly. His mother turned, and eyed Rebecca judgingly. "Hey, leave her alone, Ma."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Go on, introduce me to your girl friend here." She said.

"Oh, no, we're not--I..it's kind of complicated." Rebecca stuttered, waving her hands defensivly.

"You're in prison together...you seem pretty happy to see each other, but you're not invovled?"

"Stop, you're making things weird." Billy interjected. "We're friends, first and foremost. It's my fault she's in here."

"Ah, anyway, my name's Rebecca. It's nice to meet you." Rebecca said, thrusting out her hand, hoping to get on the woman's good side.

"This is where you tell her your name, Ma." Billy said slowly.

"Sheryl." The woman said, finally shaking Rebecca's hand roughly.

"Nice to meet you." Rebecca said again.

"So when do we eat? I'm starving?" Sheryl announced.

"I don't know, go find a guard and ask him." Billy suggested. She did. "Look, I'm real sorry about that, Bec, she's not the nicest person, you know?" He whispered once she was far away enough.

"It's okay, I figured she wouldn't like me." Rebecca replied. "I'm going to call a lawyer for you and have him come down to help you, okay?"

"Aw, you don't have to. My mom said she'd find one."

"Well, I know this guy, and he's really good at getting sentances over turned."

"If you insist."

His mother returned the table and sat down. "I had them order us a pizza." She announced. 

"Better than a cheese sandwich. But almost the same thing." Billy said, half to himself. His mother eyed him.

"What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind or something?" She asked.

"We got cheese sandwiches for lunch, and pizza in essense is a cheese sandwich." He explained.

"Hundreds of dollars we pay in taxes _monthly _and they feed you a cheese sandwich? Can we file a formal complaint or something?" 

"Jeez, Ma, when the hell did you start caring whether or not I was treated fairly?"

Rebecca licked her lips and waited for Ms. Coen's rebuttal. "You know how hard I took your father's death." That was a little weak..

"You lost your husband, I lost my father. Shouldn't we have like, I dunno, been there for each other or something?" Billy continued. His mother remained silent. "You just weren't used to showing anyone affection, except him. You never showed me that you loved me when I was growing up, and you shoved me out of the house the day I turned eighteen! What kind of mother are you!?"

"You have no right to talk to me that way!" She spat back.

"Damn right I do! You get what you give. I'm finally telling you all the shit I've been bottling up for...a freaking decade!"

"You should have spoke your mind then, when I could have seen what I did that you didn't like. I can't change anything now."

"I don't want you to, and I didn't want to have to _tell _you how to be a fucking mother!" Ms. Coen looked shocked. "I hated you! I still hate you! I was sentanced to be killed, and you didn't have the fucking decency to even _call!_"

"What could I say? Goodbye? I was still mad at you for killing your father--"

"I didn't kill him, you idiot!"

Slap.

Rebecca's eyes widened a bit as Ms. Coen's hand struck Billy's face. They both looked shocked. "I hope you enjoyed that." Billy said, raising his hand to strike her back. She flinched a bit, and he lowered his hand. "Fortunately for you, I don't hit women."

"You...you're damn right you don't hit your mother. And it's _your _fault he's dead. You and that damn bike! I told him not to let you ride and he promised me he wouldn't let you on."

"And why'd you do that? To prevent me from having a little fun in my miserable Goddamn life? You didn't care about me. You didn't want me on in case there _was _ an accident, and I'd be the one to live, and you'd have to live the rest of your life knowing that your spawn was alive, and your love was dead. Isn't that right, mother?"

"What are you implying?"

"That you wish I had died, and he had lived."

"...I wish that no one had died. I didn't want you dead."

"Yeah, I'm so fucking convinced. Why'd you even come here anyway? To rub it in my face that Dad is dead, and to try to blame me, while you laugh at me on the inside cause I'm getting what I deserve?"

"Billy..." Rebecca said weakly. What else could she say? Bottle up your emotions again?

"Look." Billy said, sounding a bit calmer. "I'm glad that your here. It's nice to know that there's more than one person who cares whether I live or die. But I can't be sure if you even _do _care, Ma. You treated me like I was a disease when I was younger...am I expected to believe that being cooped up alone all these years has softened your heart?"

"You...are all I have left of Dante. You took his bike, although I was kind of grateful to see the damn thing gone. He hated being in pictures, so I only have a few where his face is obscured. You're it, Billy. I see him in you...you have the same mysterious eyes, and that strong jaw..."

"So you decided to stop hating me cause I look like him?"

"No, jackass. I'm trying to stop blaming you. I can't hate my son, it isn't right. He's sitting alone in a prison, innocent, and he needs his mother."

"You think you're ready to give him what he needs?"

Sheryl took his hand and squeezed it. She still wore her wedding band. "I'm sorry, Billy, I really am. I realized that when they called me and said they found you that...this was it. This might be the last chance I had to find my son. No one could find you for five years. I sat at home, alone, wondering if you were dead, wishing that you would show up one day. If I let you stay here, without coming to see you, I would regret it for the rest of my life."

_/I can tell she's trying to be earnest, but she still sounds selfish. She hasn't mentioned his feelings at all. Just about herself../ _Rebecca thought.

"Pizza's here!" A guard announced, carrying the white, square box into the hall.

"I'm afraid it's a couple years too late." Billy muttered, moving his arms so the pizza could be placed on the table. The guard tossed some paper plates and napkins onto the table. "There's some soda in that refrigerator over there." He said, motioning to the corner. "Enjoy."

"Um..someone mentioned that you'll be going to trial, most likely. I guess that's a good thing." Rebecca said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Depends if that lawyer of yours is as good as you say." Billy answered, pulling the pizza box open.

"I said I'd get you a lawyer.." Sheryl interrupted.

"Bec offered me one. She knows a guy." Billy said curtly, biting into a slice of pizza.

"I...my friends and I have experience with this guy, and I thought he'd be helpful to Billy, that's all." Rebecca said, hoping not to anger Ms. Coen. _/She woudn't think twice to slap me, I bet./ _She took a piece of pizza at ate it quietly.

"So how'd you two meet?" Sheryl asked.

"Train." Billy replied before Rebecca could take a breath to answer.

"We were on the same train when it...derailed or something." Rebecca offered. She imagined that the woman had no idea about Raccoon, considering she hadn't even talked to her own son in five years at least.

"Oh. You were planning on going to New York or something when they found you?"

"Yeah, to stay with some friends of mine. Billy needed a place to stay."

"So you offered him a place to live, and he was willing to live with you, but you're not involved."

Billy rolled his eyes. "Would you get off it, already Ma? She likes this other guy." He said finally.

"No I don't." Rebecca answered, a little too quickly.

"What?" Billy asked, shifting his eyes toward her.

"I..I..I've given up on him, and decided to move on. That kiss..." Her cheeks turned a rosy pink.

"You kissed her?" Sheryl questioned.

"Yeah." Billy sighed, taking a huge bite of pizza.

"Aw, look at the poor thing, she's blushing. She likes you." That only caused her to blush further.

"Ma, you're embarassing her. And she doesn't like me. Besides, I'm old." Billy said, trying to wave his mother off his back.

"Well, you aren't that old. We should be talking about this in private anyway. Anyone thirsty, I'm parched!" Rebecca jumped up from the table and ran to the refrigerator.

_/God, I'm such an idiot! I almost admitted that I was starting to like him! That stupid kiss...my first kiss...I don't even know if he meant it. I could have seriously embarassed myself here. In front of his mother, and there are probably guards watching us from every angle. Jeez, Rebecca, you're such a idiot./_

Grabbing three cans, she walked back to the table. Billy and his mother were silent. "Sorry about that." Billy apologized, pushing the box of pizza in her direction. "I...It's okay." She stumbled, grabbing a piece of pizza and digging into it. 

--October 25th 9:00 p.m.--

They had just finished eating when Jonas entered the room. "Well, well, well. Look who's here." Billy sneered as he lounged across two lunch tables. 

"What do you want?" Sheryl questioned, turning to face the man.

"It's been decided that you'll have a re-trial. We'll be bringing in your former commanding officer to speak on his behalf, and on yours." Jonas answered.

"Don't bother. He's just going to say the same shit he said last time!"

"Wait a minute, Billy. What he says isn't going to affect his prison term, is it?" Rebecca asked Jonas.

"No." He answered bluntly.

"Well then, he should tell the truth! If he's not gaining or losing out because of it, then he should tell everyone that you didn't kill anyone."

"Keyword there is _should. _He was a selfish bastard when I knew him, and he's probably bitter about me being out and free for years while he rotted away in a jail cell. He'll lie." Billy sighed.

"This has to be illegal, lying in court! If he isn't going to help my son, don't bring this guy in." Sheryl said, getting angry.

"Has anyone talked to him, even? Or are you just going to drag him out here to testify?" Rebecca asked.

"What does that matter?" Jonas retorted.

"...I..if..." Her mouth flapped open a bit. "If this guy has nothing good to say, then why bother bringing him here?"

"To incriminate Coen."

"But why? You have no proof! There's hardly a chance that he'll be prooved innocent because everyone is out to get him!" There were tears in her eyes now.

"C'mon, Bec, don't worry about it. I'll be alright." Billy said, trying to calm her down.

"No, it's not alright! I can't just stand here and take this!"

"Hey...even if it ends in tragedy, I'm glad I met you."* Billy said, shushing her in a hug. 

"Alright, that's enough." Jonas said finally, pulling Rebecca up.

"Hey! What the hell?" She exclaimed.

"You have to get to sleep, so you can leave tomorrow morning. Tanaka, take Coen back to his cell. Ms. Coen can follow you."

Billy's ears perked up. _/Tanaka.../_ He studied the Asian man's face, before his eyes widened. Swiftly, Tanaka shook his head and winked. Billy raised an eye brow as the man cuffed his hands behind his back and led him down the hall.

"I _know _you." Billy whispered.

"Yeah, good seein' you, Billy. I've got something to give that that friend of yours. It'll help you out, trust me." Tanaka whispered back.

"What? You looking to testify for me?"

"I wish I could. They'd kick me out in a heart beat and I _need _this."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"It's kind of like a confession on paper."

"Won't that be inadmissable?"

  
Tanaka shook his head. "What are you talking about?" Sheryl asked, catching up with the two.

"Nothing, Ma. You staying here or what?" Billy asked.

"They haven't offered me a room, so I don't think so. But I'll be back." Sheryl replied. She kissed Billy's forehead before turning and heading to the right. Tanaka and Billy went to the left.

"They might have your room bugged, so we can't talk there." Tanaka said.

"So where can we talk?" Billy asked.

"The bathroom. I checked it before I came to get you, it's bug free."

They got to the bathroom, and Tanaka locked the door and removed Billy's handcuffs. "It's been awhile." He said, crossing his arms.

"Sure has. I thought you would have moved up in the ranks in five years." Billy replied, staring into a mirror.

"Yeah. There were some disciplinary problems awhile back. So if I screw up even a little bit, I'm out of here."

"Where were you during the trial, Rick? I could have used you, man."

"I know. I just...I didn't have any money, no house, no car, nothing. I had like...fifty bucks on me when I first joined, and this was the only choice I had. Believe me, I wanted to get up there and piss on Hatcher's filthy face, but I couldn't. I didn't think they'd actually find you guilty, though. That suprised me."

"You too?" Billy asked sarcastically. He turned on the faucet and splashed some water onto his face.

"Last I heard, Hatcher was at a minimal security prison in like..Montana or something. He's living it up there, Bill. And I don't know how far the corruption goes in here. If I try to talk to one of the higher ups...shit, they could _kill_ me."

"It'd be like the Shawshank Redemption all over again. But I don't think I want to hide out in Mexico. Where's this confessional you have?"

Rick took a envelope out of his pocket and handed it over. Billy pulled a piece of paper out of it and skimmed through it. "Ooh, excessive cursing, nice." He commented.

"Sealed with my chop, I figured that would keep it anonymous but be like a seal or something." Rick mentioned.

"Your chop?" Billy questioned.

"Yeah, the red stamp at the bottom. You can't be Japanese and not have one."

"Oh. Well, I hope they buy this shit. I just wish you had a camera or something. You're supposed to be tech-savvy."

"Gettin' stereotypical on me?"

Billy just shook his head and chuckled. "Man, I wish we could joke around like this and not have to worry about going back to a damn cell."

Notes: * There I go using translated J-pop lyrics again. ^o^ that was from Neo Universe by L'arc~en~ciel. That's a real cool song. Get it. Now!


	14. Page 14

Letter to a Soldier part 14

By: Hotaru

Notes: Okay, trial time! Heeha! I'm skipping ahead a bit cause it's already 13 chapters long. Hoping to end it at fifteen. Thanks for catching the peanut thing, Spider bear! I completely forgot the whole cookie bit!! You know more about my story than I... T_T

-=-

Billy was dressed formally in a dark, navy blue suit, his hair slicked back, and eyes serious. Rebecca wore a black dress jacket, with a light blue shirt underneath, a black skirt and black pumps. Billy was about to go on the stand. Their attorney seemed confident, which was good. He wasn't getting a penny if they didn't win.

"And the defense would like to call Mr. William Coen to the stand." He said, standing and buttoning his grey jacket. Billy stood, and swore to tell the whole truth and all that, before sitting in the creaky wooden chair. Rebecca gave him an encouraging smile, but she could tell he was pretty nervous being up there. "Would you state your name for the court please?" His attorney, James Marsh, requested.

"Ah, William Coen, sir." Billy answered. It sounded weird him being called something other than Billy. 

"Can you please recount, for the courts, the events that occured on July the twenty third, 1998?" Marsh continued.

"Sure. I was being taking by the military police, via car, to Ragathon Base for my execution. I think there was something in the road, and the driver of the vehicle swerved, and the car flipped over."

"Was it a sports utility vehicle?" Marsh interrupted.

"That would explain it flipping over." There were a few light chuckles.

"Continue, Mr. Coen."

Billy cleared his throat. "After the car flipped, I tried to re-orient myself. The two people in front were unconscious, and I saw what seemed like a rabid dogs stalking the car. The protective glass between the front and back seat had shattered, so I got their keys and uncuffed myself. I took one of their guns too, to protect myself."

"Were you planning on leaving them there?" Marsh questioned.

"Not for long. I was going to see where we were, and if I could call anyone to come help them. But those dogs...I don't know if the windows were broken, but they had pulled one of the guys out and started attacking him. From all the blood, I knew he wasn't going to make it, so I just ran while the dogs were distracted. I know it wasn't the most responsible thing for me to do, but these guys were sending me to my death after all."

"So you were planning on escaping, and just hiding out?" 

"Basically. I knew that if they found me, they'd kill me, and they had no right to." Billy replied.

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm innocent. Once they found out they killed an innocent man, they would have probably killed themselves 'cause of the guilt."

"So let's skip ahead a bit. You managed to remain hidden from the military's eye for five years. How did you do this?" Marsh asked.

"I kept small jobs, moved around a lot. Never stayed one place too long." Billy replied.

"Explain the days leading up to your recent capture."

"Well, I wanted to see my friend, Rebecca Chambers over there, since we helped each other out and I wanted to see how she was doing. She offered to let me stay at her friend's place for awhile. The day we planned on leaving, a bunch of Marine thugs broke into her house, and kidnapped us."

"Kidnapped? Why do you use that term?"

"I never heard my rights, neither did she. They drugged her to keep her from fighting, and they, for lack of a better term, beat the shit out of me."

"Are you an innocent man, Mr. Coen? What happened that day in the jungle?"

Billy sighed and took a gulp of water. "We went to intervene in a civil war and to raid a guerilla hideout, but there was just a villiage. No soldiers, just innocent people. My commanding officer ordered me to kill them. And when I didn't, he pistol-whipped me, and ordered me again to kill them."

"And did you?" Marsh questioned. The room was silent, awaiting his answer.

"No. I passed out after that, and all I remember is the sound of gun shots and people screaming."

"Thank you."

Marsh sat down, and let the other side go to rip Billy open. "Well, well, Mr. Coen. How do you feel today?" The lawyer questioned. He was a stiff looking man, with greying hair, a beard, and one of those big belt buckles Texans wear.

"Considering the circumstances, I'm a bit nervous, but okay overall." Billy replied cooly.

"Why nervous, if you're innocent?"

"Because there have been cases in which innocent men go to prison due to problems between jurors. But I get to let these fine people decide my fate."

"You nervous about that?"

"Objection your honor, he's badgering the defendant." Marsh exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.

"Please move on, Mr. Bridge." The judge said.

Bridge smiled falsely. "Certainly, your honor. So, Mr. Coen. You were still an outlaw when you met up with your friend, here?" He gestured at Rebecca.

"Yes, I guess you could say that." Billy replied, wondering where he was going with this.

"So, if you're convicted, than your pretty little friend can go away for conspiracy and hindering a federal pursuit."

"Objection! Who's on trial, here!?" Marsh exclaimed again.

"Mr. Bridge, if you're going any where with this..." The judge said tiredly.

"Moving on. What do you plan to do, if you get a minimal jail sentance?" Bridge asked, pacing around the room.

"I'll try to get a job, get my life in order I guess." Billy replied.

"Well, that's great. Where will you live?" Bridge continued.

"Since I have nothing permanent right now, I'd assume I would stay with Miss Chambers' friend until I got a steady job and had enough to rent my own apartment."

"You're full of shit, Coen!"

The judge banged his gavel loudly. "Mr. Bridge, I'd strongly suggest you cease and dessist!" He exclaimed, a vein in his head protruding.

"You can plaster on that fake sincerity, but it doesn't fool me, Coen. Not one bit. No further questions." Bridge sat down, his face red.

"You may step down, Mr. Coen. There will be a fifteen minute recess, and we'll move on to closing arguments."

Rebecca stood up and walked over to Billy. "You did good." She complimented.

"Thanks but...I was pretty nervous. That Bridge...he's got something against me. I wouldn't be suprised if he tried to run me over with his car or something." Billy chuckled, loosening his tie a bit.

"You want to go get something from the snack machines?"

"I don't know if I can eat anything."

"Than at least escort me."

She took Billy's arm and walked down the empty hallway. "So what do you think's gonna happen?" Billy asked.

"Well, they don't really have any evidence to support you being guilty, but we don't have much to support your innocence either. I just hope Mr. Marsh has a good speech to deliver." Rebecca replied, looking at the snacks, before choosing a bag of pretzels.

"He seems like a good lawyer. Better than I'd be able to get. I don't think I could do this without you." Rebecca looked up in to his blue eyes and smiled.

"It's a good thing I'm here, then."

"Sure is." Billy put his hands on Rebecca's cheeks, his fingertips feeling her soft hair. "Thank you." He whispered, before kissing her lips gently.

-=-

The two returned to the court room, and Bridge, who was a redneck in every sense of the word turned and sneered in Billy's direction. "You're going down, Coen."

"Bite me." Billy retorted, immaturely.

"Mr. Bridge, if you would be so kind as to give your final statement." The judge requestioned. The Redneck stood, and loosened his tie a bit. 

"Ladies, and Gentlemen of the Jury...War is a dreadful time, for both soldier and civilian. Emotions run high, you're in a new enviornment, and around every turn, there's someone looking to kill you. I guess you can say...that mistakes are made, and they're understood. Mr. Coen, and his unit made a mistake. They fired upon innocent people, and after it was all over...I'd imagine they'd feel incredibly guilty. But this cannot be forgiven so easily. You cannot shrug of the deaths of countless _innocent _people as 'a result of war'! It's **manslaughter**! That man, Billy Coen, has no soul. He fired his weapon upon women...and children...simply because...well, who knows? Maybe he was angry at the African people, maybe he's a racist. We won't know _why _he did it, but what we do know, and what we _have the power _to do...is decide his fate. It's in your hands, Ladies and Gentlemen. Don't let a guilty man walk free." Bridge smiled smugly, before returning to his seat.

Mr. Marsh stood, cooly and buttoned his dress jacket. "Well. Here we are. Twelve men and women, who are no doubt tired, and want to return to their families. I will try to be as brief as possible, for their sakes." He began. A few of the jurors smiled at his charm and charisma. "In 1982, an award-winning Philadelphia writer was wrongfully sentanced for the shooting of a police officer. He was a black man, who exposed police violence against minority communities. He carried a .38 callibur gun, for protection since he was a night-time taxi driver. The gun that was used to kill that police officer was a .44 callibur gun. This man has been on death row for nearly twenty-two years, and it seems plain as day that he's innocent. Then again, that's just my opinion. Just how it's Mr. Bridge's opinion that Mr. Coen is a racist murderer, and how it's Mr. Coen's opinion that Mr. Bridge doesn't have any idea what he's talking about."

A few people chuckled. "We can see, that innocent people are sent to prison, and sent to death. The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the one I just talked to you about...witnesses were pressured to change their stories by the authorities. We received a letter from a witness, who can claim that Mr. Coen is innocent. And yet, he or she _cannot _come forward, because of the repercusions they will face as a member of the United States Marine Corps. What ever happened to honor, and upholding truth and justice? What is this country based on, Ladies and Gentlemen? Lies, deceit, cover ups and everything Mr. Bridge just said. If I may, I'd like to quote Mr. Abu-Jamal in the defense of Mr. Coen." Everyone was all ears.

"I remain innocent. A court cannot make an innocent man guilty. Any ruling founded on injustice is not justice. The righteous fight for life, liberty, and for justice can only continue."

"Let's not make another mistake. Do what you know is right. Use your heart as well as your head. Find my client innocent." Marsh concluded, before taking a seat beside Billy.

"Good job." Billy commented.

"There will be a brief intermission, for the jurors to make their decision." The judge said, slamming his gavel down. Billy sighed deeply and rubbed his temples.

"God, my life is on the line. Why do we have to keep waiting?!" He questioned.

"You want to give them some time to decide, don't you?" Rebecca replied.

"Yeah."

"Billy, why don't you go to the bathroom, wash your face and get refreshed before the jurors come back?" Marsh suggested. Billy was looking a bit tired.

"Sure." Billy replied, standing up. Rebecca followed him, but obviously couldn't go into the bathroom with him. Pulling her bag of pretzels from her purse, she tore the bag open and grabbed one. She hadn't eaten breakfast, and it was way past lunch time. She was afraid of getting sick during the trail, because of the nerves. 

Billy exited the bathroom, and pulled a dollar from his pocket. "What should I get?" He asked, as they walked to the vending machines.

"I don't know. Whatever you want." Rebecca answered. She was still shaky from that kiss earlier.

"Are you okay? Are you...weirded out or something?"

"What? No! No..."

"Then what's wrong?" He put his dollar into the machine, and a got a bag of plain M&M's.

"Nothing."

"Look, I'm _sorry _for catching you off guard like that. I just...I'm grateful. I know you're still pining over that Carlos guy, who, might I add, isn't here trying to help you--"

"I told you, I don't like him anymore!"

"Then why so pissed off?" Billy questioned, sitting on a wooden bench.

"Because..._twice _now, you've kissed me, without any damn warning!" Rebecca blurted.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but it was kind of a spur of the moment, you know?"

"Well, I don't want it that way."

"How _do _you want it? All romantic-y, with rose petals and shit?"

"No, ass. Just...put my feelings into consideration before you do stuff like that."

"Haven't you ever been kissed before?" Her silence answered him. "No kissing...so I assume you're a virgin too?"

"So what?! I'm not some stupid tramp who goes around, sleeping with people I don't even love." She exclaimed. Thankfully the hallway was clear, or they would have gotten a few stares.

"Ok. Relax. How about this. If I get out of here, you and me can go out. You can have your first kiss and date and all that." Billy offered.

"You're so full of yourself. You're here, on trial for your _life _and you're trying to hook up with me?!"

"That should say how much I care about you, hm?"

Marsh walked through the empty hallway and motioned for them to follow. "They're ready to read the verdict." He announced.

"So what is it, Bec? You take my offer?" 

"...alright."


	15. Page 15

Letter to a Soldier 15

By: Hotaru

Notes: Well, I haven't felt like writing, and no one's felt like reading apparantly. Anyway, I'll end the suspense for the few of you who are eager to find out what happens.

The court was dead silent as Billy and Rebecca re-entered. They quickly took their seats, and Rebecca took Billy's hand. "Has the jury reached it's verdict?" The judge questioned.

"We have, your honor.On the charge of hiding from government officials, and hindering his arrest we find the defendant guilty. We call that he be sentanced to one year in prison."

Marsh leaned over to Billy. "I can get that knocked down to six months, maybe less." He whispered. "It's good."

"And on the charge of 23 counts of murder, we find the defendant.....not guilty."

Rebecca's body shivered, and she wrapped her arm's around Billy's shoulder. "You did it! You're finally free."

"Yeah...I can't believe it." Billy said with a small smile.

-=-

Marsh, Billy and Rebecca were currently seated at a restaurant to eat a victory dinner. "Now, don't worry about that year in prison. I'll have it knocked down to six months, and maybe even three with a year on probation or something. You really got a great deal, kid." Marsh said, patting Billy on the shoulder.

"Well I couldn't have done it without either of you." Billy remarked. "I can't believe it's finally over."

"I knew that if the jury was smart, they'd see that you were innocent. That other lawyer was _horrible_. You'd think that you killed his kid or something." Rebecca commented.

"Yeah, I'm sure that my old commander offered him a large sum of money to attack me like that. But if he was smart, he could have made them think I was guilty. Luckily he was an idiot." Billy replied.

"That guy has a reputation for being a drunk, and his career is going down the drain. If they had gotten a better lawyer, we might not be sitting here. Luckily, we got the drunk!" Marsh said with a chuckle. "Well, I'll leave you kids alone. Don't forget we have to go back to the court tomorrow, Billy to deal with your sentancing."

"Yeah, got it. Thanks a lot."

Marsh nodded, and weaved through the crowded restaurant. "So." Rebecca said with a smile.

"So. Our first official date, ah?" Billy grinned.

"I guess so. I can't believe it's over now. How do you feel?"

"Really...relieved. I don't mind the jail time, I can take it. Community service I can do, too. I can finally stay in one place, get a job, make _friends_ without worrying that they're cops or something.."

"That must feel incredible."

"Yeah. It's strange...I can hardly remember the time before all this shit happened. I have vague memories of growing up with my dad, and then joining the Marines...making some buddies there. Turns out, all but one betrayed me."

"Rick...he seems like a great guy. I hope you don't hold a grudge against him or anything."

He leaned back in his chair. "It's hard to. He did what he could to help me, I can't blame him for not wanting to get in trouble. He'd be out on his ass if he actually testified. Thankfully, we didn't need him." He answered.

"If they had found you guilty...do you think that he would testify then?" Rebecca questioned.

"I don't know. I'm happier knowing he did what he could, and that it was good enough."

-=-

After dinner, the two went to the park and sat on a bench by the lake. They just talked about random things for the longest while. A police escort had to follow them, but he kept his distance so they could have some privacy. "So, you'll come visit me right?" Billy questioned quietly, as they watched the moon's reflection on the rippling water.

"Of course. I'll bake you things to share with your prison buddies." Rebecca said, half-joking.

"If that can keep me from being shanked, that's great."

"Ew. I hope that doesn't really happen."

"It does. I won't let it, though. So, what are you going to do while I'm gone?"

"Oh, I don't know. Try to find a job, and a place here while I wait. Try to find my parents. Let them know I finally found someone."

"So you found me, hm?" Billy snaked his arms over her shoulders, and she leaned into him.

"We found each other." She corrected.

"You saved me..."

"You saved me too. Are we even now?"

"I'll come to your rescue, no matter what. I'll be like your knight in shining armor."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Standing on her tip-toes, Rebecca leaned to kiss Billy. Her first _official _kiss. It was nice, romantic, everything she expected it would be. And she wouldn't be experiencing another one for a long time. "I can't believe you're going to leave me again." She whispered into his shoulder.

"I'll be back before you know it." Billy said, comforting her.

"Will you?"

"Yeah. No death row for me. Just making some license plates, cleaning sheets and eating gross food for a couple of months and I'll be back."

"I can't believe how positive you're being about this. I'd be devestated if I had to go to prison."

"Well, I've been there. And I've been there, thinking I'd be dead soon. This is much better."

The next day, Billy went off to prison, not too upset about his whole situation. He'd be getting out before too long, and Rebecca would be waiting for him. And who knew where it would go from there?

_Fin_


End file.
